The Chosen
by Eliyora
Summary: My first story about the Monkey Team, this is AU! A group of high school students lives are turned upside down with the arrival of a new student. Better than it sounds! Read and review please! rating upped for slight language  ON HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

"The Chosen"

Prologue

By: Eliyora

Eliyora: Okay, I feel about fifteen kinds of guilt right now. For any who may be curious, I'm the author Cherry Romancer. I just . . . well . . . I kinda lost my interest for my other account. Until I can recover it, my other stories will remain untouched. Once I recover it, I will finish the unfinished stories on there, then that account is done. I am from now on Eliyora.

Kitalia: Yeah, yeah, we get it. Now, will you move on already?

Eliyora: Shut up! By the way, this is Princess Kitalia, my own OC for Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! She's going to be in this story, playing a slightly different role than she will in the next one. This particular story is an AU of the Shuggazoom that we all know.

Kitalia: I'll explain. First off, more than just the one city is habitable. Almost the entire planet is capable of supporting life. There is still a Zone of Wasted Years, but it is much smaller, and it surrounds the Pit of Doom, both of which will play an important role. Also, there is no Monkey Team. There is no constant threat from the Skeleton King. In fact, no one has even heard of him. One more thing, the people of Shuggazoom all have monkey tails. This includes the members of the Hyper Force, who are all human high school students.

Eliyora: Shush! If you explain anymore, you'll give away the plotline!!

Kitalia: How about a "thanks for explaining"?

Eliyora: I didn't ask you to! I know you're a princess, but don't be so self-righteous!!

Kitalia: HMPH! (pouts)

Eliyora: (sighs) Anyways, enjoy, and forgive me if I write anything OOC. I've never written about the Monkey Team before.

IFYOUCANREADTHISYOUAREDRIVINGTOOCLOSE

It was early. Too early. He shouldn't have gotten up! He wanted to go back to sleep, and was well on his way before he recieved a hard poke on the shoulder.

"Hey, Kid! Wake up! Don't let Nova see you sleeping!" came the voice of his best friend, the red-head Sparx. Blinking, Chiro sat up at his desk. It was annoying, but Sparx was right. If Nova saw him, she would wake him up her own way. She wouldn't tolerate any of her friends sleeping during school.

"Alright, I'm up," he grumped.

"Late night?" came the merry voice of the green-haired Otto. This boy gave new meaning to the term "ignorance is bliss." Otto was probably the sweetest guy in the entire city, but he was incredibly naive, almost to the point of being completely stupid. Only his closest friends knew that Otto was a lot smarter than he let on.

"Yeah. I was studying all night, and I still couldn't follow anything from science class!" Chiro complained.

"Maybe you should ask Gibson!" Otto suggested. This idea was rewarded by a groan from Chiro and Sparx.

"Come on Otto! You know how Brainstrain is! If Chiro asks him, he'll get a three-day lecture in words that only a rocket scientist could understand!" Sparx said.

"He's not that bad, Sparx. I'm not saying that it's a good idea, but you're exaggerating," Chiro said. Sparx just 'hmphed' at Chiro, which earned a grin from said boy. Gibson and Sparx were twin brothers who couldn't have been more opposite if they tried. Sparx was a hot-tempered, egotistical flirt who lived by his instincts, detested science, and was really quite popular with the girls.

His brother, however, was quite level-headed, always approached things from a logical, scientific view, couldn't live without his home lab, and was actually kind of shy about things that weren't science-related. He also detested being called by his first name of Hal, making everyone call him by his last name.

"Who exaggerating what?" Speak of the devil. The blue-haired genius had just entered the classroom. He maneuvered his way through the desks to his friends.

"Nothin' important," Chiro answered. "'Sup Gibson?"

"Nothing interesting," Gibson replied. "Just checking on some of my projects before coming to class."

Sparx rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He had been distacted by something, or more accurately, some_one_. Two beautiful girls had just walked in and had sat down on the other side of the classroom. One of them had pink hair that was always kept in two pontails and bright green eyes, and was well-built. This was Jinmay, Chiro's girlfriend. Being the daughter of a very well-off family, Jinmay had been raised as a polite and courteous young lady. Because of this, and her looks, she was probably the most desired girl in the school.

The other girl was the one Sparx was staring at. She had long, golden hair, fiery pink eyes, and a body that could kill. This was Nova, the girl that Sparx had been longing for since they had met her in fifth grade. Though she was stunning, Nova was a tomboy, flat and simple. She didn't like waering skirts, she was a black belt in no less than four styles of martial arts, and could be very blunt when she wanted to. Her attitude made her considerably less popular than her best friend Jinmay, but she didn't care. In her opinion, "the less idiot males to annoy her, the better." This, however, did nothing to discourage Sparx's affections, and the poor guy seemed to constantly be sporting a bruise or black eye.

Before Chiro could get up to say hi to Jinmay, the final bell rang, signaling the start of homeroom. All of the students took their seats quickly, before their "ogre" homeroom teacher came in. Ms. Shenko was the meanest teacher in the entire school. She's assign dentention if anyone so much as dropped their pencil, so no one dared to misbehave around her.

Ms. Shenko walked into the classroom, adorned in her usual all-black gothwear. She looked around the class once, then took role call. After this, she said, "Before I let you speak, there is something important I must announce." She turned to the door. "We have a new student joining us today."

The door opened and a yound man walked in. A handsome young man. A _very_ handsome young man with black hair that was about mid-back in length and tied in a ponytail, tranquil green eyes that seemed to take in everything around him at once, and a pale complexion that many girls would have killed for. If they dared, the girls would have immediately started to whisper amongst themselves. As it was, they were all staring with love-smitten expressions on their faces. Even Jinmay and Nova had to admire how handsome this guy was.

Ms. Shenko ignored them and said, "Tell us about yourself."

Clearing his throat, he said, "My name is Antauri. My family just moved here from Koraladol City. I have an older brother, and I'm a vegetarian. Other than that, there's really nothing to tell."

"Very well. Take a seat."

Antauri looked around before spotting a vacant seat next to Otto. As soon as he sat down, Ms. Shenko said, "Very well. That is all, so you may now be the little miscreants that you are and talk amoungst yourselves." She sat at the teacher's desk while the other students got up and moved to be with their friends. Most of the female students crowded around Antauri.

"Antauri, is it?"

"He's so handsome!"

"You have a brother? Bet he's not as gorgeous as you!"

"Oh, do you want me to show you around?"

Sparx watched the attention Antauri was receiving rather huffily. After all, Sparx was supposed to be the popular boy. He didn't like that the new kid was stealing his thunder without even trying. Noticing this, Chiro grinned.

"What's wrong, Sparx? Girl trouble?" he teased.

"No. New kid trouble," he responded.

Nova gave a short laugh. "Hey, it's not his fault he's way more gorgeous than you could ever hope to be." Sparx didn't reply. He just sat there, pouting.

"Instant popularity aside, he does seem rather intriguing," Gibson said.

"Yeah. I bet he's really cool!" Otto said cheerfully. "Maybe we should be friends with him!"

"No offense, Otto, but you want to be friends with everyone. We don't even know anything about him," Nova pointed out.

"We know he's from Koraladol, and he's a vegetarian!" Otto replied. Nova shook her head, smiling.

"Well, at least, let's try to get to know him. Even with all that attention, he's probably going to feel lonely in a new school," Jinmay suggested.

"I agree. Let's invite him to sit with us at lunch," Chiro said.

Sparx just 'hmphed' again.

IAMNOTCRAZYIJUSTFORGOTMYMEDICINETODAY

Eliyora: Just a taste. I know it's completely boring right now, but I promise it will get better!

Kitalia: Stop making promises! You have a hard time keeping them.

Eliyora: Well. . . yeah. . .

Kitalia: While she's on her guilt trip, make sure you hit that nice little button in the corner there and leave a review. ARIGATO!!


	2. Chapter 2

"The Chosen"

Chapter One

Eliyora: I know I only just posted the story, but I wanna post more already!!!

Kitalia: Yeah, yeah, you say that now, but what happens when your muse dies?

Eliyora: I dunno. What _does_ happen when you die? (evil grin)

Kitalia: Ho ho. Hilarious.

Eliyora: Heh. That can't happen right now anyway. My boyfriend is my muse at the moment. Unless there's some sort of freak accident or a homicidal maniac that suddenly bursts into his life and starts a shooting frenzy, I doubt he's going very far.

Kitalia: . . . what does one say to something like that?

Eliyora: A review response would be nice, to start, even though there's only one right now.

_You'veBeenJayed: Yes, they are humans. In my little pre-story chat, Kitalia explains this. Also, to clarify, Sparx _is_ supposed to be the coolest kid in school, but let's face it. Among real-life fans, Antauri is the most popular of the team. He's also my favorite. Besides all of that, the monkey just radiates cool. But I'm fan-girling now. Hee!_

Eliyora: You know, I'm really glad. I only posted the first chapter a few hours ago, and I immediately had a review!

Kitalia: Yeah, just don't expect too many.

Eliyora: Hey, the future is yet to be written. We'll see.

YOUCANTHELPMENOONECANHELPMEIMUSTBEDESTROYED

It was a long morning of nothing. Even though school was for learning, many students in the class were merely waiting until they reached the lunch hour. When it finally came, Chiro made his way through the crowd of girls around Antauri (the guy already had a big fan-following) and said, "Hey. You wanna eat with me and my friends?" There was an indignant uproar from the girls, and it increased when Antauri accepted.

Once they got clear, Antauri said, "My thanks. I'm not very good at dealing with large crowds, especially large crowds of girls."

"Hey, it's the sort of thing you get used to," Chiro said. "I'm Chiro, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hey, there they are. Come on!" Chiro grabbed Antauri's arm and pulled him over to where his friends were sitting under a tree. Everyone except Sparx seemed happy enough, but Sparx had a frown on his face.

"So, here's the school's newest hottie!" Nova said.

When Antauri hesitated, Jinmay laughed. "Don't worry. That's just Nova's way of breaking the ice. I'm Jinmay. She and I aren't gonna fan-mob you or anything." Antauri relaxed and sat down on the grass between Chiro and Otto.

"Hi! I'm Otto! Do you like mechanical stuff? Is it hard being a vegetarian? How come you're so pale? Do you want to be friends?" This all flew out of the boy's mouth very fast.

Antauri blinked, then said, "Okay, in order, kind of, not really, I don't get much sun, and sure."

"YAY!! I knew we'd be friends!!" Otto yelled before launching himself onto Antauri in a tight hug.

"Are you always like this?" Antauri asked.

"Like what?" Otto asked, oblivious.

"More or less. He's more than a bit hyper," Gibson answered. "My name's . . ."

"Hal!" Sparx yelled.

Gibson cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yes, well, that is my given name, but I'd prefer it if you called me Gibson. As far as groups go, I suppose one might called me the 'brains of the outfit', but I'm really just an amateur scientist who loves chemistry, biology . . ."

"And long-winded explanations," Sparx cut in again.

"Ahem. Anyway, this, unfortunately, is my little brother Sparx."

"We're twins, dammit!! You're only two minutes older than me, Brainstrain!"

"I'm still older."

"Um. . ." Antauri muttered.

"Don't worry. That's normal for them," Otto said.

"I always though that twins had an unbreakable bond," Antauri whispered.

"They do. They just don't show it," Chiro assured him. "All they do in public is argue."

Antauri watched the two of them for a minute more, then decided to move on. "Well then, Miss Nova, wasn't it? I have'nt heard much about you, or you either Miss Jinmay."

The girls giggled. "Oh, you're polite. I think I could like you," Nova remarked. Upon seeing Antauri's face, she said, "I meant as a friend. Ask the guys. I'm something of a 'girl power' type chick. I won't put up with idiot males. Anyway, don't call me Miss. Just Nova, please."

"And I'm just Jinmay. I get enough of the Miss crap at home."

"At home?"

"Yeah. Jinmay's from a rich family. She's only in this school because she begged her parents to not send her to a private one," Chiro said, moving over to her. "Luckily for me."

"For both of us," Jinmay replied, kissing his cheek.

"Aw, baby love!" Sparx remarked, having stopped arguing with Gibson.

"Ha ha. Funny," Chiro replied. "Hey, how come you haven't ssaid anything to Antauri yet?"

"Yes, it is unlike you to be quiet," Gibson said.

Sparx looked at Antauri, then said, "I'll be back. I'm goin' to the bathroom."

When he walked off, Antauri asked, "Does he not like me?"

"It's not that. Sparx is the most popular guy in school. He doesn't like that you showed up and instantly had all of his fan girls all over you," Nova explained.

"He also doesn't like the fact that Nova thinks you're cute," Jinmay added.

"Hm?"

"Oh, Sparx likes me. He's always trying to come onto me, and no matter how many times I hit him, he keeps coming back. Hmph. The guy's an idiot."

Antauri relaxed and began eating his packed lunch of veggie sushi and rice. Everyone ate quiet until Sparx got back. Nova then asked, "So, you still haven't told us about yourself."

Antauri paused, then said, "I told the class everything there was about me worth knowing."

"Hey, that's not fair. We told you about us," Chiro said.

"And I appreciate the fact that you like me enough to make such an effort to be my friends, but believe me when I say that I don't make friends." Antauri stood. "I enjoyed our lunch together, but perhaps it's best if we don't do this again. Good day." And with that, the enigmatic boy walked off.

Sparx 'hmphed' again. "Great. He's stuck-up too. Why are we trying to be friends with him?"

"Suddenly I'm not sure. That was more than a little cold," Nova agreed.

"Yeah. All we did was ask him about himself." Otto pouted. "He said we could be friends, too."

Jinmay noticed the thoughtful expression on Chiro's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Just something about the way that he said that," Chiro answered. "Maybe I was imagining it, but he sounded sad."

"Sad? Phht. Yeah, right Kid. And I'm the nicest guy in school."

ONTVTHISWOULDBEACOMMERCIAL

Antauri remained apart from them for the rest of the week. Normally, this would discourage Chiro from someone, but for some reason, he felt rather fixated on this new guy. He couldn't explain it, and when he told his friends, the only response he got was Sparx sarcastic, "Maybe you've gone all fan girl on us, Kid." This earned a smack from Nova.

That Friday, Chiro sat in the last class of the day, watching Antauri. "It's _been an entire week, and every time one of us tries to say hi, he either ignores us or turns and walks the other way_," he thought. "_Why won't he talk to us? Why am I so fixated on him? And . . _." Chiro looked down at the paper he'd been doodling on. "._ . . why in the world am I drawing a gorilla?_"

The bell finally rang. Most of the students practically flew out of the class, but Antauri took his time gathering his things. He exited the classroom quietly, not noticing the six pairs of eyes watching him. The gang watched as he left, but they were surprised when Chiro suddenly got up and followed after him.

Chiro followed him as he went to his shoe locker (which contained a ton of love letters), then followed him down the street when his friends caught up.

"Chiro, what are you doing?" Gibson asked.

"Following him."

"Why?" Sparx asked.

"No idea. Hey, where's Jinmay?"

"It's Friday remember? She's got violin lessons," Nova reminded him. "Hey, Antauri's getting pretty far off." They hurried after him.

"Why are you guys following him now?" Chiro asked.

"'Cause you are," Sparx answered. "We do things as a team, remember?"

"Watch it!" Otto yelped. They all hid as Antauri turned around. They waited for a few minutes as he scanned the area, then watched as he turned down an allyway. They hurried to follow, only to see Antauri's bookbag sitting on the ground.

"What the? Where'd he go?" Nova asked. "Why'd he leave his bookbag here?"

"Maybe he dropped it," Otto suggested.

"And not notice? The math book alone must weigh six hundred pounds," Sparx said. Out of nowhere, a huge crash sounded. "What was that?!?"

"Let's go see!" Otto said, running off in the direction that the sound came from.

"Ah, of course. The first chance to get into trouble, and he jumps right in," Gibson grumped. "Let's go make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"Must we?" Sparx muttered, but the others ignored him as they ran after their hyperactive friend. Upon reaching him, they all stopped cold at what they were seeing.

Monsters, real life monsters, black and white and skeletal-looking, surrounding a pale-skinned boy with silver hair tied in a ponytail that fell to about mid-back, wearing silver armor-like clothes, and robotic hands and tail tip. He seemed to be fighting them. A sinister cackle alerted them to the presence of a gray-skinned woman with black and red hair, wearing what could only be described as witch's clothing. They were shocked to realize that she was floating above them.

"You cannot win this time! You're completely outnumbered," she taunted.

"Don't count me out yet. I'm much stronger than you've ever given me credit for," the boy replied.

"I acknowledge that, which is why I've brought so many Formless with me. You will not stop me this time, and you will never again be a thron in my side! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" she laughed. With that, she flew off somewhere, leaving the boy to his fight.

"She's right. I'm strong, but I can't defeat this many Formless alone. Brother, where are you?" the boy said just loud enough for them to hear.

Hearing that seemed to trigger something in them all. Without a word, they all rushed forward, grabbing whatever random objects they found lying around, determined to help this boy. The monsters, or Formless, or whatever they were, didn't see them coming. Flying lead pipes, garbage can lids, and old broken drink bottles connected with several of them, and much to everyone's disgust, these ones exploded into huge piles of black ooze.

"EEEEWWWW!!!" Nova screamed when some of it landed on her shirt. "This is my favorite shirt!! Alright, that does it!!" Now enraged, Nova jumped at them, throwing punches and kicks that showed her years of study in the martial arts. Chiro was right beside her. He wasn't quite as far in his training as Nova, but he was far from helpless.

Gibson and Otto, however, were in a bit of trouble. They picked up the lead pipe (Gibson) and garbage can lid (Otto) that they had thrown, and were now using them to defend themselves against the Formless that had surrounded them. They weren't doing to badly, but there were too many of those things.

Sparx meanwhile, had been grabbed by one of the Formless, and was currently being squeezed to death. "Gah! Can't . . . breathe . . . help . . . someone . . ." he choked out. In the next instant, the Formless holding him exploded in a mass of black goo. Sparx was too surprised to move for a moment, but then he turned and saw the silver-haired guy they had been trying to help, except now his hands had turned into some sort of purple claws. "What the . . . how'd you. . .?" Sparx stuttered.

"Come," was all the boy said. He moved again, too quickly for Sparx eyes to follow, but a path began to form as the creatures exploded, so he moved through it. Eventually, they found their way to Otto and Gibson, who were both hurt. Claw marks ran along their clothes, but they kept on fighting, still beating back the Formless that came at them. They were surprised when they were all suddenly gone.

"What the?" was all Otto managed before Sparx grabbed him and Gibson's arms and said, "Come on!" The silver boy carved a way to Chiro and Nova, but once they were all together, the remaining Formless swarmed around them, and there were still a lot.

"Just great. Now what do we do?" Nova said.

"What were we thinking, rushing in to fight monsters?" Sparx asked.

"Well, what did you want to do? Run off and leave someone to die?" Gibson asked.

"But now we're all gonna die!" Otto said.

"Not without a fight. Come on guys!" Chiro said.

"Wait."

That one word made them all pause and turn around. The silver-haired boy was standing right in the middle of them, looking remorseful.

"I never wanted to involve anyone in . . ." He sighed, then raised his clawed hand above his head. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, a green energy flowed out of his hand and surrounded them with a dome. They were all shocked.

"That will buy us a few minutes. I need you all to listen to me very carefully. What I'm about to do will change your lives forever. You will never be able to go back to your old lives. I don't want to do something like that to anybody without first giving them a choice. I can give you all the power to fight, the power to defeat these creatures, but I will only do so if you want it. Once this power is with you, you will be trapped by it. Do you understand? It will be the end of your normal lives."

They were all shocked by this. The end of their normal lives? They would be different forever? It was a frightening prospect. To never be normal again?

The boy suddenly said, "Decide quickly! That barrier won't hold!" Looking around, they saw he was right. The energy wall was beginning to give.

"What should we do?" Chiro asked.

"Hmph. I've never run away from anything in my life. I'm not about to start now!" Nova said.

"I agree! We can't just abandon this guy, especially not now!" Otto said.

"Well, I'm not about to let either one of you do this without me! I'm in!" Sparx said.

"Well, it would appear to be our only option right now anyway. If we don't those creatures may very well tear us apart, and believe me, those claws hurt," Gibson said.

Chiro nodded. "Alright then. We accept."

The boy nodded. "All of you, close your eyes and open your minds. Allow my power to flow through you. Feel my energy awaken your own. Feel the strength of the Power Primate!"

Suddenly light surrounded each of them, golden around Nova, red around Sparx, green around Otto, blue around Gibson, and orange around Chiro. These lights gathered on their skin and began to take shape as armour. Then everyone's hands and tail tips except Chiro's became cybernetic. Their cybernetic hands changed shape. Nova's hands simply became enchanced fighting gloves, but Sparx hands became giant magnets, Gibson's hands became drills, and Otto's hands became saws.

"What the?" Nova said.

"What's happened to us?" Sparx asked, holding up his most attratctive feature ever. (A/n: Hah! Get it? Attractive? _is bricked_)

"I've you now have what we need to get out of this!" the boy said.

"But, we don't even know how to use these!" Otto yelled.

"Yes, you do. Just let it flow through you. Don't think, just allow your instincts to guide you. Now be ready."

The barrier gave and the Formless came charging at them. On instinct, they all jumped and were held in midair. It took them a moment to realize that they had jet packs on their backs.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Sparx yelled.

"Let's get them!" Nova yelled. Se flew directly at the ground, raising her fists and yelling, "**Lady Tomahawk!**" before bashing them into the ground. The street shook and then, to their surprise, the pavement lifted and threw a bunch of Formless into the air. They exploded upon landing.

Amazed, the boys flew in after her. Without thinking, Otto yelled out, "**Whirling Destructo Saws!**" and thrust his arms towards the Formless. His cybernetic arms stretched out, attacking Formless a ways off.

Sparx found that fighting these things was a lot easier now. He yelled, "**Magna Tingler Blast!**" and a wave of electricity flew out of his magnets, wiping out a large number of Formless.

"**Photon Scalpel!**" were Gibson's words as a more concentrated electric attack fired from his drills wiping another group of Formless from existence. "My goodness. Actually quite invigorating."

"**Claw Disruptor!**" were the silver boy's words as he destroyed more and more of the creatures. Unfortunately, they were'nt doing enough damage. The Formless kept on coming.

"Ugh! Where are they all coming from?" Nova complained.

"Hey, where's the Kid?" Sparx asked.

"Oh no. I'm afraid I've found him," Gibson said, pointing. They followed his gaze to see Chiro being held by a red Formless.

"The Brain Formless," the boy said.

"Brain Formless?" Gibson asked.

"Yes. Most Formless are mindless, merely following orders to kill or destroy. That red one is one that has a mind, the one that controls the others. If we were to destroy it, the other Formless would all die, but . . ."

"While it has Chiro, we can't do anything," Nova sighed.

The Brian signaled for them to land, which they did, deactivating their weapons. They never noticed another one of them was also missing.

As the other Formless prepared to finish them off, the red Formless suddenly winced and released Chiro. The others turned to see Otto had sliced the Brain right where its spine would have been. They quickly reactivated their weapons, ready to defend themselves, when Chiro lifted his hand, holding what looked like a bolt of lightning.

"**Chiro Spearo!**"

The red Formless dissolved, and so did the others. The gang all began cheering, until the mood-wrecking Sparx said, "Yeah, great, but now what? I for one want an explanation of what just happened, starting with who the hell this guy is!" He gestured to the silver boy, who sighed.

"Yes, I suppose an explanation is necessary. First, though, I will answer your question." He tapped an emblem on his shirt twice, and the silver completely disappeared, leaving a very familiar face in its wake.

"Antauri?"

INEEDAPOODLEGETMEAPOODLEINEEDAPOODLE

Eliyora: To be continued!

Kitalia: What?! You can't end the chaper there!! The readers will hunt you down and strangle you!!!

Eliyora: I ended it like any good anime would have ended an episode. I want to leave people wanting more. That's how you get them to come back.

Kitalia: I guess, but. . .

Eliyora: Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention in regards to their school. I'm trying to write it like a Japanese high school. Now, I'm not Japanese, so I can only go by what I've heard, but I'm gonna do my best.

Kitalia: You remember things at the weirdest times.

Eliyora: Yeah, I know. Anyway, please feed the authoress! Give her reviews so that she will write faster!! Please??


	3. Chapter 3

"The Chosen"

Chapter Two

Eliyora: Okay, I'm not making a super long note here. I'm notifying everyone of some things. First, I'm going to stop writing needless notes on top of my story. They'll be on the bottom now, if I write any at all. Second, review responses will be done via PM. Third, just so all are aware, I'm working on making a little movie for this fanfic that will act as an anime intro. This intro will be placed on YouTube, and I will make a note when it's finished. Now, story time!!

IMLOSTIMLOSTIDONTKNOWWHEREIMGOING

"Antauri?!"

The pale-skinned enigma stood before them, his outward demeanor calm and collected. On the inside, however, he was panicking like he had never panicked before.

"Yes, it is I," he said in a would-be calm voice.

They all stood there, dumbfounded, until Otto spoke up. "WOAH! So then, you're like a superhero or something!" This statement broke the growing tension amongst them. Chiro even snickered a little.

"I believe I fall unvder the category of 'or something' Otto," Antauri said, now tapping on what looked like a watch on his wrist. This caused him to transform back into the silver warrior.

Sparx wasn't finding any of this entertaining. "Yeah, great, fine, you're some sort of superhero. That still doesn't explain what happened just now, or what happened to us!!" he yelled, holding up a magnet for emphasis.

Antauri nodded. "Follow me." He turned and took two steps before stopping and saying, "Oh! Just a moment!" He dashed off quickly, and before the others had time to wonder where he went, he came dashing back, holding his bookbag. "Superhero or not, I still have homework to do." He turned and walked down the street, his befuddled companions in tow. They kept moving until Antauri stopped before an old, condemned warehouse.

"What're we doin' here?" Nova asked.

"You wanted to know what happened, right?" Antauri asked. "You'll find your answers here."

"Only thing we'll find here is mold and dust," Sparx muttered. They ignored him and entered the building.

A gentle, warm sensation filled them suddenly, but it was gone as quickly as it came. In the next instant, a magical energy wrapped around them and took them to another place, a place that looked like a cross between a martial arts dojo and a science lab. Antauri stepped forward and kneeled on a placemat sitting on the floor. Seeing other mats, the rest of them followed his example. They also mimicked the respectful bow Antauri gave when a man wearing a white robe and a green mask that hid his entire face entered the room.

The newcomer looked at the five confused teenagers, then turned to the silver one and said, "What is the meaning of this Antauri? Imbuing outsiders with the Power Primate, then bringing them here? Explain yourself."

Antauri lifted his head. "Forgive me Master Xan. There was no other option. However, master, I did not _give_ them the Power Primate. I do not have the ability to do such a thing. All I did was awaken what was already there."

"Already there?" Xan said skeptically. "These outsiders posess the Power Primate on their own?" He took a closer look at these children and then saw what Antauri must have seen. There was a pale red glow around Sparx, a pale blue glow around Gibson, a pale green glow around Otto, a slightly brighter golden glow around Nova, and around Chiro . . .

Master Xan reeled. The young boy had an angry green light burning around him like wildfire. I shone more powerfully than either their leader or their most powerful disciple. He had never seen such a power in his life. No wonder Antauri had brought them here!

After recomposing himself, he sat before the group. "I see. Young Antauri, know that I do not approve of such action without consulting your elders first." Antauri lowered his head. "However, I can see the strength of the Power Primate within each of them, and I know you have truly excellent judgement, so if you deem that there was no other alternative, I will believe these words. You will recieve a light dicipline, but that is all."

"Thank you Master Xan. I thought I might be heavily punished for my deeds," Antauri said.

"Relax, child. While you are not completely faultless, I understand why you awoke their powers."

"Excuse me!" Sparx interrupted. "Is someone gonna explain any of this to us? I mean, we're the victims here, so don't we at least deserve to know what the deal is?!"

"Sparx, be quiet!" Gibson snapped.

"No, he is right," Xan said. Rising to his feet, he continued, "I apologize. I did not mean to speak as though you were not here.

"What has happened is that Antauri has awakened within you a great power that has been dormant for your entire lives known as the Power Primate. It is a power that at one point all of Shuggazoom's people had. It is one of the most powerful positive forces in existence."

"Hang on. You said that at one point, all of Shuggazoom had this power. Does that mean they don't anymore?" Nova asked.

"That is correct. The Power Primate is all but dead on Shuggazoom because the people had no need for it anymore. See, millenia ago, this world was under constant threat from terrible entities called the Dark Ones. These creatures embodied every negative thought, feeling, and action that came to be anywhere in the cosmos, so you can imagine that they were excruciatingly powerful. It took all that the people had merely to keep the creatures at bay.

"Eventually, everyone on the planet came together for one last, desperate attempt to seal the Dark Ones away for good. They focused their esscences of the Power Primate together, and managed to seal nearly all of the Dark Ones away into another dimension from which they could never escape. Only one was left, the most powerful one of all, the Dark Worm."

"A worm?" Sparx scoffed.

"Don't make light of a creature merely for how it appears," Antauri said.

"Yes. Though it had an odd appearance, the Dark Worm was truly fearsome. With all exhausted from their strike, Shuggazoom was left all but defenseless. It should have been the end of the world, but it wasn't. A handful of people, exactly six, remained strong enough to fight back. They grouped what was left of their power together and were able to seal the Worm. Though they weren't strong enough to send it to the Dark Dimension, they were able to seal it deep within the planet itself, preventing it from escaping and thus ending the threat of the Dark Ones.

"After this, there was no need for the Power Primate as a common force, and so the people of Shuggazoom began to lose it, except for a sparse few. These few came together to create a hidden order, the Varon Mystics, us. We are dedicated to training those within the order in the ways of the Power Primate."

"Yeah, interesting story and everything, but it still doesn't tell us what happened," Sparx said.

Xan gave a short laugh. "I suppose it doesn't. To be completely honest, I'm not entirely certain that I know what happened."

"Master, if I may?" Antauri asked.

"Yes, feel free," Xan replied.

"What happened was that the same power the Master Xan just told you about, the same power that sealed away the Dark Ones, it now resides within each of us. The Power Primate takes on a slightly different form within each person, but it is all the same power."

"But how'd it get there?" Otto asked.

"I don't know. I must assume that you were born with it. That happens sometimes. Every once in a long while, people outside of the Mystics are born with the natural gift of the Power Primate. Usually one of the masters will find these people and bring them here. The fact that this time I found not only one, but _five_ with this much strength of the Power Primate, and awoke it without consulting my masters . . ."

"Such a thing has never happened in the entire history of the Varon Mystics," Xan said. "But now that your power has been brought to the surface, you must become a part of the order, and train here with us."

"Train?" Nova asked.

"Yes. You will be taught to control your powers so that you don't accidentally harm someone."

"Um, Master Xan? If I may have a word?" Antauri asked. Xan nodded and the two of them walked into another room, leaving the group sitting there, attempting to absorb all of the information they had just been given.

"I can't believe this! I can't freakin' believe this! If I'd known that this was gonna happen, I'd never have jumped into that fight!" Sparx fumed.

"You mean that you would have run away and left Antauri to die?" Nova snapped at him.

"We didn't know it was him!" Sparx retorted.

"And you chose to jump in and aid someone that you didn't even know anyway," Gibson said. "Which, by the way, is very unlike the Sparx I know."

Sparx hesitated. That was a good point. What had made him want to jump in anyway? Usually when something happened, if it didn't involve him or his friends, he ignored it. Sparx had never felt the need to throw hiself into danger needlessly. Why had he been compelled to do so that night?

Otto grinned. "You can complain all you want, Sparx. You know that if it all happened again, you'd at the exact same way! We all would!"

"But the question is, why?" Gibson muttered. "Why on Shuggazoom were we so ready to fight monsters, even knowing that being killed was a very real possibility?"

"I wonder if it has anything to do with the Power Primate?" Chiro said, speaking for the first time since they had arrived.

"What'd'ya mean Kid?" Sparx asked.

"Well, think about it. The only reason we were there in the first place was because something told me to follow Antauri, then told the rest of you to follow me. What else could it have been?" Before anyone else could say anything, Antauri and Xan walked back into the room, sitting down in their respective places.

"What's wrong?" Otto asked.

"Nothing. We're just waiting for somebody," Xan answered. As if on cue, the door opened again. "Everyone, allow me to present the leader of our order, Lady Kitalia."

The gang was shocked. Lady Kitalia was no more than a year older than they were. She was pale-skinned, like Antauri, had shoulder-length brown hair, and wore a pale lavender kimono-like garment. What really drew the attention, though, were her stunning amethyst eyes.

"Greetings, everyone," she spoke in a very serene voice. She smiled. "Hello Antauri."

Antauri fidgeted.

"Master Xan and Antauri have told me what happened. All things considered, I believe Antauri made the right choices tonight. I wish for you all to begin training as soon as possible, and I want Antauri to be the one who trains you."

"Me?!" Antauri yelped.

"Your Ladyship?" Xan exclaimed.

Kitalia smiled again. "Peace. Allow me to explain my decision. If what Antauri described is true, then we can't bring them here for the traditional training. We must allow them to remain on the outside. Is that not why we allowed Antauri to attend a regular school?" Her expression turned serious. "I am beginning to fear the worst from the Skeletal Circle. We must have them all on the outside, so that they can protect the people of the city."

"Skeletal Circle?" Nova asked.

"Yes. They are an order that is the exact opposite of us. They worship the Dark Ones and wish to find a way to bring them back to the world," Xan explained.

"Why would anyone want to do that? I thought the Dark Ones wanted to destroy everything," Sparx asked.

"So do they," Antauri said. Those three words brought the entire room to silence. After a time, Kitalia spoke again.

"I know it is a lot to ask of someone who has only just learned all of this, but you are stronger in the Power Primate than anyone else in the order, except maybe one, and you are the only ones who are familiar with the outside." Kitalia looked sad. "We don't usually like to get people involved in our affairs, but I believe there is a reason that the Power Primate brought you all together. Please. You are all we have to rely on to stop the Circle."

There was only a sparse moment's hesitation before Chiro said, "I'm in!" When Kitalia looked at him, he said, "Like you said, there has to be a reason for all of this, right? Besides, I don't like the idea of any 'Circle' bringing back some demon and trying to destroy my home!"

Nova gave one of her dangerous grins. "Count me in too! Like hell I'd let Chiro do this without me! He's practically my brother!"

"Me too! It sounds fun!" Otto yelled.

"I must admit, I find all of this rather intriguing. I believe I too shall lend my aid," Gibson said.

"Forget it."

Everyone turned as one to the redhead. Sparx looked back at them all evenly. "If you all want to get involved in some sort of adventure, fine. I don't want anything to do with it. Now, how do I change back to normal? I want to go home and pretend that none of this ever happend!"

There was utter silence for a few moments, then Antauri raised his hand and gestured to the emblem on his chest. Sparx looked and found one on his chest as well, then tapped it twice as Antauri had done before. When his normal, teenage self returned, he said, "Okay, can I leave?"

Kitalia waved her hand, and a door appeared behind him. "This door will take you back to the warehouse. I assume you know your way home from there?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine from there. See you guys at school on Monday." Sparx stood and walked towards the door.

Nova stood and rushed over to him. "Sparx, what are you doing? You heard what they said! They need our help!"

"Yeah, well five superheros sounds like plenty to me. I'm gonna go home, do my homework, and forget about all of this!" With that, he walked out, leaving his friends (and a **very** angry Nova) behind.

"I can't freakin' believe he just did that!! Sparx has never been overly-involved with anything, but this?! I thought that he'd complain, but I never thought he'd just walk out like that! That damn jerk!" Nova fumed.

"Leave him alone, Nova. You know how Sparx is. Let's let him cool off for a while," Chiro said. Nova muttered something about "stupid males," but she sat back down.

"Anyway, I believe that is enough for one night," Kitalia said. "I suggest you all go home and take time to clear your heads. Get some rest, but come back again next Friday. I will want to speak to you again.

They all bowed again, then rose to leave. Just before they left, Kitalia said, "Bye Antauri. Have fun in the city!" Antauri fidgeted again, then hurried out the door, followed by a now-smirking Chiro and the rest.

Once they were gone, Xan turned to Kitalia. "Your Ladyship? Why did you make such an outrageous decision?"

Kitalia closed her eyes, a considering look on her face. "I know you saw it, Xan. The fierce strength radiating from the boy Chiro. Such a tremendous power, it even frightened me." She opened her eyes and looked at the masked man. "I didn't think that it would happen, but if he has been born, then it may mean that the Circle might not be our greatest threat anymore."

"What could possibly be worse than the Circle?" Xan asked.

"Something that I hope and pray that I am wrong about."

IDLIKETOORDERTHECHINESEPECKINGDUCKWITHROASTEDVEGGIES

Eliyora: Whew!! Took hours, but I'm finally happy with the chapter!! It's pretty good.

Kitalia: I can't believe you made me look like some sort of high-and-mighty mediator!!

Eliyora: I could have done a lot worse. You're my character, so I can do whatever I want to you!!

Kitalia: Yeah, well, whatever. I'm not that serious or uptight!!

Eliyora: Wait, okay? You'll see where I'm going, even though it'll take a while.

Kitalia: Hmph.

Eliyora: Please review!! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

"The Chosen"

Chapter Three

When Sparx woke up the next morning, the previous night felt like little more than a bad dream. He was determined to keep it that way, to forget it all, and he kept telling himself that as he got dressed.

He never noticed the little silver watch on his right wrist.

Heading into the kitchen for breakfast, he saw Gibson was already there, eating his traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. He started to say good morning, but his brother stood, took his dishes to the sink, and walked out of the house without a word. Sparx decided not to think anything of this. Whenever Gibson was mad at him, he'd act that way. Even Sparx had to admit that after last night, Gibson had every right to be angry.

Sparx shook his head. He wanted to forget about it!! He had to stop thinking about it! Maybe a day with the flight simulator at the arcade would take it off of his mind. Deciding that this was the best thing for him, Sparx grabbed the toast that Gibson hadn't eaten and left. Since it was a nice day, he decided to walk. A nice, relaxing walk to the arcade. He'd done it a million times.

So then why did it feel weird today?

When he reached the arcade, after greeting the kind elderly couple that ran the place, he made a beeling for the flight simulator, only to find a very familiar someone waiting there for him.

"Kid?"

Chiro looked at him for a minute, then grinned. Pointing over his shoulder at the game, he said, "Thought you'd be here already. I can't believe I actually got here before you for once! I wanna challenge your high score!"

Sparx blinked, blinked again, then grinned. "Fine, Kid, but if you wanna _really_ challenge my score, then we play on expert mode!"

"You're on!" Chiro responded. They hopped into the machine and were off. Sparx glanced over at his best friend and smiled gratefully. Chiro was acting as though nothing had changed. He was gonna let it go and act like his normal self. Sparx couldn't begin to describe how grateful he was for that.

"Hey! Pay attention Sparx!" Chiro yelled, snapping Sparx from his thoughts. It was pointless, however. Sparx couldn't focus at all. Normally he flew circles around Chiro, but now he was barely keeping up. The nagging feeling in the back of his head that something was not right stayed with him, and he eventually crashed because of it.

"You okay, Sparx? It's not like you to crash like that," Chiro asked.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I can't concentrate. It's like something's pulling at my brain."

"You concentrate? That's a scary thought," came a female voice. Sparx turned around, only to collide face-first with Nova's chest. (A/n: XD Couldn't resist!)

The next moment found Sparx on the floor with a red handprint on his face.

"You pervert!!" Nova screeched.

"Hey, it was an accident! You were the one standing right behind where I was sitting!" Sparx retorted.

"_Anyway_!" Chiro interrupted. "Nova, what's up?"

"Came to find you," she answered. "Antauri wants us all to meet him at two o'clock at the station." She looked at Sparx. "_All_ of us!"

Sparx didn't answer right away. After a few moments, he stood up and said, "I thought I was crystal clear. I don't want anything to do with this! I don't want you guys in it either, but I can't make the choice for you, so please, just leave me out of it!" He started to walk away.

"If that's true, Sparx, why are you wearing the silver watch?" Nova asked.

Sparx stopped and looked at his wrist. Sure enough, there it was. 'I can't believe I never noticed it,' he thought. Even so, he couldn't make himself take it off. He just kept walking.

"Nova, what was that for?" Chiro asked.

"I know you don't like to be hard on anyone, Chiro, but sometimes you have to be," Nova answered.

"Yeah, I know, but I was thinking last night . . ."

"What?"

"Well, hasn't Sparx been acting a little weird for a while now? Before Antauri even joined the class. I'm starting to wonder if there's not something wrong with him, or if there's something going on that he doesn't want to tell anyone about," Chiro explained.

Nova hesitated, then sat down in the now inactive flight simulator. "Thinking about it, your right. He's never been the most positive of people, but lately, the way he acts. . ." Nova shook her head. "I don't know, Chiro. What if there is something wrong?"

"Let's start by asking Gibson. He'd know better than anyone," Chiro suggested.

"Good idea. We'll ask him when we all meet up later."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arcade, Sparx was wondering the same things. He really had no idea why he was reacting in such a way to his friends, especially to Nova. He adored Nova. Sure, he earned his smacks from her, but his feelings were genuine. So why was it that he couldn't even make himself listen to her? More than that, why did he keep running away? Running away from his friends was the complete opposite of his usal policy. Right now, he wanted to go over to them and apologize.

The nagging in the back of his head increased. In fact, it became bad enough for a moment that he grabbed his head as though fighting off a migraine. (A/n: Did I spell that right?) It subsided after a minute, leaving him with nothing more than a slight headache.

"Gah! Damn! What's wrong with me? Where are these headaches coming from?" he said to himself. "Hmph. Maybe I should go home and get some rest."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" came a shriek from the other side of the arcade. Sparx turned sharply to see a cluster of Formless at the door. Not quite as many as the last time, but enough of them to completely block the entrance. No one was going to get out that way.

As the Formless advanced, many people ran, finding places to hide from the monsters. Sparx dove behind the prize counter, only to find two other people already there.

"Chiro! Nova!"

"Shush!" Nova whispered harshly.

"What're you doing? I figured you'd be fighting those things by now," Sparx asked.

"We will. We just couldn't transform in front of all those people," Chiro explained. "You ready Nova?"

"I'm always ready!" she answered. They both tapped their silver watches and said, "Hyper Power Up!" This caused them to transform into what Sparx had now dubbed their "superhero getups."

They jumped out from behind the counter, yelling, "Hold it Formless!!!" The Formless all stopped as one and turned to them. Nova gave her dangerous grin and jumped at them, send a Formless flying into a wall with a strong kick. Chiro managed to skewer three of them with a Ciro Spearo. Even though it was just the two of them, and even though it was only their second fight, they were doing pretty well. the Formless kept exploding into puddles of black goo.

"Wow. Those kids are tough," Sparx heard someone say.

"They're crazy, fighting monsters!" someone else said.

"Better them than me," came a snide voice.

"I wish I was strong like them," a kid said.

Sparx began to take in all of these remarks. For some reason, though, he heard the negative ones more than the positive. It was like something in him was being pulled to the negativity, and he didn't think it was his usual pessimism. Something felt really wrong.

His headache returned a bit, but he didn't even notice. He'd been distacted by Nova screaming, and the Nova he knew _never_ screamed. He looked around the counter and saw that even more Formless had shown up and were now overwhelming his friends. They had menaged to restrain them, and two more approached, their arms transformed into leathal blades. They were about to kill his best friend and not-so-secret crush!

Realizing this made something inside of Sparx snap. They would really die! They would be gone, and he would have done nothing but watch on the sidelines! Hadn't they been a team ever since they were kids? They always looked out for one another, and when one of them was in trouble, he was always, _always_ right there to help in any way he could! SInce when had that been any different? He couldn't just sit there and watch his friends be skewered!!

Without even thinking, he tapped his watch and said, "Hyper Power Up!"

The Formless that raised its blade to strike Nova suddenly froze. When Nova looked up, it melted. Confused, she looked around and saw a red-armoured redhead, magnets still spraking from the shot he'd just taken. Sparx turned his magnets towards the other one and said, "**Magno Ball Laser!**" The Formless dissolved like the other one had. The other Formless looked up, confused as to what had happened, then when they saw Sparx, they suddenly let Chiro and Nova go and moved as one to all attack him.

"Woah, wasn't expecting that!" Sparx yelped, jumping out of the way when the Formless attacked. He flew over them to his friends. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," Nova said. "But I thought . . ."

"Talk later. Right now we should get these things out of the arcade and away from all of these people!" Chiro interrupted. "Let's get going!" They nodded and took off flying. The Formless came charging after them. "Okay, split up! Try to divide the group. That way we can take them out easier!"

"Right Kid!" Sparx said as they took off in different directions. However, instead of splitting apart, the Formless all came after Sparx. "What the?!" Sparx flew higher, but to his surprise, the Formless sprouted bat-like wings and came flying after him. Sparx increased his speed, and so did they. "Why are they after me?!"

"**Photon Scalpel!**"

Half of the Formless exploded from that unexpected attack. Seemingly out of nowhere, Gibson, Otto, and Antauri flew at the Formless, tearing them apart. Sparx blinked, then flew back to help them, but before he got very close, his headache returned as a full-force migraine. He clutched his head, crying out in pain, then fell from the sky.

"SPARX!!" Gibson yelled.

Then, just as quickly as Sparx headache popped up, Nova was there to catch him.

"Ugh, uh. Huh?" Sparx grunted, regaining his focus. "Nova?"

"You alright?" she asked in a soft tone that he'd never heard her use before.

"Y-yeah. Ugh. I think so." He stood up. "Where's Chiro?"

"Helping the others. Come on, we have to help too!" Nova said. Sparx nodded, and they both flew back up to help their friends.

"Hey, I don't see the Brain anywhere!!" Chiro yelled.

"Me neither! Where is it?" Otto agreed. Sparx looked around, but there was nothing but black and white amongst the flying Formless. A thought occurred to him, and he flew down and landed on the street. Looking around, he finally found it hiding in an alley.

"Gotcha!!" he yelled and he shot a **Magna Tingler Blast** at it. The Formless saw it coming and dodged. "Heh. Not too bad. I guess that's why you Brains are in charge of the others."

The Brain threw a punch that sent Sparx flying out into the street. It turned its arms into a blade like the other Formless had before. Sparx quickly got back to his feet, but did not get away from a slice across his arm.

"GAH!" The attack shorted out his magnet. The Brain seemed to smirk, then came at him, ready to kill.

"**Sting Rings!**"

A wave of yellow energy threw the Brain backwards, away from Sparx. He looked up to see Nova flying down to help him. She looked mad. No, strike that. She looked _**livid**_! Sparx actually felt sorry for the Brain Formless. Nova took a step forward, and Sparx noticed something. The pavment under her feet seemed to warp a little bit.

"I hope you're ready to die, Formless!" Nova growled. She raised her fists above her head and shouted, "**Lady Tomahawk!**" which caused the ground under the Brain to split. It fell into the crevice and out of sight, but above them, all of the othe Formless exploded at once, so it was safe to assume that the Brain had been destroyed.

Sparx stepped towards Nova cautiously. "Hey, uh, thanks Nova." He reached out with his uninjured arm, but withdrew it quickly. The air immediately surrounding Nova felt very hot.

Nova took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. After a moment, she turned around and said, "Your welcome. It's the least I could do after you saved me earlier."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't gonna just let my friends get stabbed," Sparx said, blushing a little. The others landed. "Where'd you guys come from, anyway?"

"We were actually right below you when you flew overhead with a Formless horde chasing after you," Gibson explained. "We weren't going to sit there and watch it happen!"

"But Sparx, what're you doing here anyway?" Otto asked. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with this stuff!"

Sparx suddenly scowled. "I don't!"

Everyone blinked in surprise. After a moment, Chiro asked, "Then why'd you help me and Nova?"

"Because I'm not gonna watch my friends die when I can do something about it!" Sparx snapped, as though it was Chiro's fault that this had all happened.

"Hey, take it easy Sparx. I'm just trying to understand what happened," Chiro said defensively.

"Yeah, well, I don't care!" Sparx yelled. He raised his hand to tap the emblem on his chest when Antauri's hand stopped him. "What're you doing?"

"If you change back with your arm like that, you flesh arm will be injured as well. With that bad of a cut, you may very well bleed to death," Antauri said calmly. "I recommend you come back to the Order so that we can fix your arm."

Sparx blinked, then said, "Fine. Whatever." They all flew to the same warehouse as last time and entered through the same means. Once inside, though, rather than kneel and wait like Antauri had them do last time, he led them through the back door and to a medical facility.

"Is Lenira here?" Antauri asked the white-robed Mystics.

"I'm afraid not. She will not be here until tomorrow," one of the nurses said.

"TOMORROW?" Sparx yelled. "I can't stay here that long!! My parents'd kill me if I was mysteriously missing all night!"

"Yes, agreed," Antauri said. "Is there anyone else with Lenira's training?"

"I'm afraid not. She's the only one who know how to fix cybernetic anything," the same nurse answered.

"Well, I know a lot about mechanical stuff," Otto said. "Maybe I could fix it?"

The nurses blinked at him. "Well, Lenira does leave all of her books and notes in her office. You could take a look at them to see in you can understand any of it." The other nurse suggested.

They headed into the office and Otto took a look at the papers scattered on the desk. After several minutes of reading, he said, "This stuff's easy! I can fix ya up using this stuff!" He grabbed Sparx (by the bad arm) and dragged him into the other room, shoing everyone else except the nurses out. The gang waited outside for a half hour before Otto came out, looking pleased with himself. "All done!"

"Already?" Antauri asked, surprised. "It would take Lenira twice as long!"

"Well, her notes were pretty good, so I was able to fix Sparx right up!" Otto replied cheerfully. "Come on in, see for yourself!"

When they entered, they saw the nurses staring at Sparx's fully repaired arm in shock. They kept on whispereing about how quickly Otto had gotten it done. Sparx looked at Antauri, got off of the chair he'd been sitting in, and asked, "Okay, is it safe for me to change back now?"

Antauri took a closer look at his arm, just to make sure. He was amazed to find that it was, indeed, completely repaired.

"Yes. There's nothing wrong at all. You're okay to change back now."

"No he's not," came a serene voice from behind them. They all turned to see Lady Kitalia had walked into the room.

"Oh, um, h-hello Lady Kitalia!" Antauri stuttered, bowing respectfully. Chiro smirked, but remained quiet. Kitalia laughed.

"Always the formal one," she remarked at him. She then turned to Sparx. "Sparx, I wish for you to come with me. Do not change back into your original form, just follow me. The rest of you may come if you wish."

"Excuse me? I'm ready to go home!" Sparx grumped.

"Just follow me. That is not a request," she commanded. Startled by the change of her tone, Sparx followed with no further complaints. Everyone else except Otto, who wanted to look at Lenira's notes more, followed as well.

She led them into the same room as before and sat them down, only this time, she had Sparx sit directly in front of her. She just stared at him hard for about two minutes, making him uncomfortable. Finally, she turned to Antauri and said, "Fetch me the black crystal."

"The black crystal?" Antauri asked. "Does that mean . . .?"

"It does," she said solemnly. Antauri got up and dashed off. Before anyone could ask, Kitalia said, "The black crystal is a purification stone that we use to remove the taint of the Circle from one who has instilled with in unwillingly. You, Sparx of the red armour, had been tainted by the dark power of the Skeletal Circle."

"What?!" Sparx yelled. "No way!! How could that happen?! Until last night I didn't even know it existed!!"

"It is because you have been exposed to someone from the Circle, someone who has been trying to corrupt you for some time now. The only reason they have not been successful is because of the Power Primate. It has helped you retain your mind, allowed you to keep your identity."

"But who in the world could it be?" Chiro asked.

"My guess is that there is someone in the school who is a part of the Circle," Antauri said, returning to the room with the crystal in his hand. "That is why I enrolled at that particular school. I could feel the dark energy there. I just can't tell who it's from yet." He handed the crystal to Lady Kitalia, almost dropping it when her hand came into contact with his. (Chiro smirked again.)

"This taint is most likely why you have been so resistant to everything," Kitalia continued. "Don't worry. After this, you will be able to think more clearly. If you still wish to leave the Order afterwards, you are free to do so, but only if that is your true desire." She stood and rose the crystal above his head. "Now close your eyes and be very still." He did so. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the crystal glowed and began drawing some sort of black shadowy mass into it. It took a couple of minutes, but finally, the entire thing was pulled out and the crystal stopped glowing.

Sparx opened his eyes and looked around, feeling a bit disoriented. He shook his head to clear his vision, then realized something. "My headache's gone."

"Hm? That perpetual headache that you've had for about a month now?" Gibson asked.

"How'd you know about it?" Sparx asked.

"Oh, please Sparx. We're twins, remember? I can always tell when something's wrong with you, and I'm sure you can always tell when somethings wrong with me."

Sparx just went, "Hmph."

Kitalia smiled. "Anyway, the taint has been removed from you completely. Now look into your own heart. Do you want to stay, or leave? I won't stop you either way, but you must decide."

Sparx stopped and looked around at his friends. They were all watching him patiently, waiting for him to answer. His eyes wandered over to Antauri, who he still wasn't sure he liked. His eyes then wandered to Nova. His precious Nova. The very same girl who had protected him today. "Well . . . I . . ."

"Hey!! I think that I can handle any repairs to the cybernetics from now on!!" Otto's excited voice came thundering into the room befor he did. He was holding a wad of what looked like blueprints in one hand, and in the other he carried a set of high-tech tools. "Any problems just leave to me! I'll fix it up!!" Everyone stared at him for a long moment. "What?"

That was it. _Everyone_, including Antauri, began laughing hysterically. They were all laughing so hard that they couldn't breathe, leaving poor Otto completely confused as to what the joke was. After they finally calmed down, Sparx stood up. "That's it. There is now way I'm leaving all of this behind! I don't want to miss any more fun like this! I'm staying!"

The team all cheered happily, and Chiro, Gibson, and Nova ran over to hug Sparx. Otto slid over to Antauri and asked, "What's goin' on?"

Antauri smiled. "What's going on, Otto, is that our team is now truly complete. We are now about to begin an entirely new chapter of our lives, together!"

EVERYONELOVESSODAHATS

Eliyora: Have you noticed how much Sparx winds up saying "Hmph?" It's kinda becoming his version of Inuyasha's "Keh."

Kitalia: You're the one writing it. You can fix it.

Eliyora: I know, but I don't want to. I kinda like it!

Kitalia: Weirdo.

Eliyora: And proud of it babe! Please remember to review!! Thank you!!


	5. Chapter 5

"The Chosen:

Chapter Four

Chiro woke up a little disoriented. The weekend was gone, he had school, and of course his dreams had kept on waking him up throughout the night. He felt extremely sleepy, so he just rolled over to go back to sleep. Unfortunately for him, a knock came on his door.

"CHIRO!! GET UP!!" came a loud voice. Chiro sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up Mom!" he called back. With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed. Damn Mondays. In a sleepy haze, the teenager showered and dressed. Once fully clothed, he looked at a picture sitting on his dresser.

"Morning Dad! Wish me luck! Today's the first day of training with the team!" he said as though the stationary face in the frame were alive. Chiro's father, Clay Carrington, had passed away from heart disease when Chiro was only eight. It still saddened him to think about, but Chiro liked to think that his old man was still watching him, making sure that he grew up right.

"CHIRO!!"

"I'M COMING!!" he yelled. He hurried down the long stairwell of his huge house. It was a fact that Chiro didn't advertise, but he came from a family that was even wealthier than Jinmay's. In fact, the Carrington family was the richest in the entire city. The only reason Chiro was in public school was because he had begged his mother.

Finally arriving in the kitchen, he greeted his mother with a good morning kiss. After they ate breakfast, Chiro said, "I'll be home late, Mom. I'm going out with my friends after school.

"Alright sweetheart. Just make sure you're home by curfew," she answered.

"Always," He replied, giving her another kiss. "I'm off!"

"Be safe!" she called after him. Chiro smiled at her, then hurried out of the house and down the street to where Jinmay was waiting for him with an annoyed expression.

"Chiro, didn't we have a date yesterday? Where were you?" she asked as soon as he was in hearing range.

Oh hell! He'd completely forgotten about their date! Saturday's events had driven Sunday's plans clean out of his mand. Taking aq deep breath, Chiro said, "Man! I'm sorry Jin. Some stuff happened on Saturday, and I kinda forgot about Sunday because of it."

"What kinda stuff?" she asked as they started for school.

"Well, I don't know how to put it. . ." Chiro began. A sudden look of comprehension dawned on Jinmay's face.

"Wait! Were you downtown when those weird creatures showed up?" she asked.

"Huh?" Chiro replied stupidly.

"It was all over the news last night. There were these weird things that showed up at the arcade, and then tore up half of the downtown. Were you there?"

"Yeah, I was there," Chiro answered. _I was helping to destroy those things,_ he thought.

"No wonder. If I 'd been there, I'd have forgotten too!" Jinmay said. Chiro felt relieved. At least Jinmay was an understanding sort, but he felt bad for not telling her the entire story.

"Oh, there's Otto!" Jinmay said, pointing ahead. "Hm? What's that he's carrying?" Chiro looked up and saw, much to his shock, that Otto was carrying the very same set of tools that he had gotten that weekend from the Order.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" he asked cheerfully, his normal, oblivious self.

"Otto, what's that you have there?" Jinmay asked. "I've never seen those tools before."

"What, these? I just got them this weekend! Cool, huh?" Otto chirped happily, showing them off to Jinmay. "These are really wicked! I can build or fix anything with these! I can't wait for shop class today!" Jinmay and Chiro grinned. Otto's love for metal shop was famous in school. He was, in the teacher's own words, the best mechanic to walk the halls of Shuggazoom High.

They hurried on, meeting up with Sparx, Gibson, and Nova along the way. When they got to the school, they saw Antauri talking on a cell phone, an excited look on his face. When he hung up, Chiro walked up to him and asked, "Who was that you were talking to?"

"It was my brother!" he answered, a big smile on his face. "He's been away for a while, but he's finally coming here!! He said he'd meet me after school!" Antauri was almost shaking. They could all see that he was delighted to see his brother again, which meant that Antauri was probably more thrilled than they could imagine. It was hard to decipher any emotions from that boy, and the fact that they could see something clearly from him. . .

"I'm glad. You must've really missed him while he was gone," Nova said.

"Yes, I did. You see, he's the only family I have left," Antauri answered, some of his happiness dying with these words.

"What?" Otto asked.

Antauri gave a sad smile. "I don't remember my parents at all. I was really young when I lost them. For as long as I can remember, it's just been us two."

"Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry!" Jinmay said.

"Don't be. Like I said, I don't even remeber them. It's kind of hard to miss people that you never knew," he assured.

They headed for class, but then Sparx thought of something. "Hang on. If it's just the two of you, and he's been away, how have you been supporting yourself?" he asked.

"Hm? We own the new cafe downtown. It's where we live too," Antauri answered.

"You mean that cool place 'Herbal Spirit'?" Jinmay asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that's us."

"Oh wow!! That's so cool!! I love that place!!" Jinmay squealed.

"Hey, hush! I know that it's popular with kids our age, which is why I don't want it well known that I co-own the place!! I think that I'm popular enough, don't you?" Antauri whispered urgently.

Sparx 'hmphed' at him and muttered, "I'll say." Nova elbowed him just as the second bell rang. "Whoops. We better sit. Last thing I need is another detention with Madame Ogre Shenko!"

They all hurried to their seats just as their teacher walked in. After that was a more or less uneventful day of school, unless you count the water balloon and mashed potato flakes incident in the cafeteria. (A/n: Do not ask! I won't tell you even if you ask!) Finally, it was after school. Antauri, usually so in-control and even-tempered, bolted out of the classroom like a bat outta hell. Chiro was very surprised. Was this brother of his really _that_ great? After bidding goodbye to Jinmay, who had a dance class that afternoon, he and the rest of the team hurried after Antauri.

Gibson asked the question burning in all of their minds. "Your brother, is he a part of the Order?"

Antauri smiled. "Yes he is! He's the most powerful disciple of the Power Primate, second only to Lady Kitalia. He's going to be a part of the team, which is why I wanted to wait until today to start the training. More than likely, he'll be leader of the team." His grin got even wider. "I told him about all of you on the phone. He can't wait to meet you guys."

No sooner had he said that than an awesome convertible pulled up in front of them. The driver wore a pair of dark sunglasses, a leather jacket, and had the most lurid shade of orange hair that, oddly enough, worked for him, which he kept pulled into a short ponytail at the base of his neck. He looked directly at the group and said, "Ah, so you must be the team that Anni told me about. It's nice to meet you at last."

Antauri turned a light shade of pink. "Brother, it's good to see you, but must you call me Anni in front of other people?" he asked.

"Well, why not? It's your cute nickname." He snickered. So did Sparx. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself. My name's Mandarin, and I'm the MAN of the Varon Mystics. Let's see if I can figure out who's who." He looked at each of them in turn. "I'd have to say that the one with the geeky glasses and blue hair is Hal."

Gibson became annoyed. "First, my glasses aren't geeky. Second, it's Gibson. I hate being called Hal."

"Alright, fair enough," Mandarin said. "My next guess in that the mean-looking redhead is Sparx."

"Mean-looking?" Sparx muttered.

"The dim-looking guy with the tools and green hair must be Otto," Madarin continued as though he had not heard Sparx. Otto made a face at the "dim-looking" comment, but didn't say anything. "The short kid with the black hair is probably Chiro." Chiro grunted at the remarked about his height. Mandarin hopped out of his car and stepped up to Nova. "And of course, this beautiful woman must be Nova. It's a pleasure, madame." He took one of Nova's hands and kissed the back of it, making Nova blush slightly.

Sparx was seeing red. Who did this guy think he was? He had insulted each one of the guys, and he turns and hits on Nova? Sparx was about to pounce when Chiro's hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked to see his best friend giving him a stern look, so he relaxed. Chiro did not let go of his shoulder though.

"Now then, what do you say we head on over to the cafe? Get some food first, then we'll start training," Mandarin said. He hopped back into his car. "Climb on in! There's enough room for everyone!"

There was, but only just. They had to squeeze to all fit into his car. They were quickly brought to the cafe, Otto singing about food the entire way. Jinmay was the only one of the gang who'd been there yet, so when they finally saw the place, they were suprised. It was a coffee-house sort of a place, but obviously adjusted with the teenage mindset. There were a couple of video games in one corner of the room (including a pinball game that Chiro promised himself that he'd try later), a small stage that was set with a karaoke set, and the waitress uniforms were short and cute, clearly designed to catch male attention. Mandarin grinned at them.

"Never been before?" he asked. When they shook their heads, his grin grew. "Well, feel free to drop buy anytime you like. You're Anni's friends, so you guys get a discount whenever your here. Sorry, but I can't give out freebies, not even to you guys."

Chiro smirked. "It's cool. So, what's to eat around here?"

Antauri stepped around the counter and called into the back, "Hey, Lyndis? You have any 'Power Subs' made?"

"No, but it'd only take me a couple of minutes to make some. How many?"

"Five, plus one Ceasar Salad and Mandarin's usual!"

"Oh, is he back?" came an excited answer. A moment later, a pretty face appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen. She smiled at the orange-top man. "Welcome back Mannie! I missed you!"

"I missed you too Lyn. I've got some stuff to take care of this afternoon, but how about tonight we go grab some dinner?"

"That would be wonderful!" she answered. "Okay, give us a couple minutes. We'll get your order ready."

When the rest of the gang gave Mandarin a confused look, he smirked and said, "That's my girlfriend. Ain't she cute?" Antauri rolled his eyes.

"I guess she'd be your type," he said.

Mandarin smirked. "And I know who's your type, Anni! You want L-mmmmmmpphhhhh!" A madly blushing Antauri quickly covered Mandarin's mouth.

"Shut up!!" he growled, letting him go. Mandarin and Chiro grinned.

"Heh. Now I see why Antauri was so excited about you getting here," Sparx remarked.

"Oh, he was?" Mandarin's grin turned right back into a smirk. Antauri blushed again.

"Come on, brother. You know full well why I don't like it when you're away," Antauri grumped.

Mandarin's smirk faded. "Yeah, yeah. I know you hate being alone more than anything else, but you know that when I get a mission, everything else is pretty much a moot point."

"Yes, I'm aware, which is why I never protest, but it doesn't mean that i like it," Antauri responded.

"Fair enough." They all sat in silence for a while. Finally, Nova asked, "Mandarin, how old are you?"

Not expecting the question, Mandarin blinked, then smiled. "I'm 24 years old. Nine years older than the rest of you. Why do you want to know?"

"It just seems odd to me that you own your own business at such a young age," Nova answered.

"Oh, that? Actually, we didn't start the place. Lady Kitalia set it all up for us. Only been running for about six months. She made me and Anni the co-owners so that we'd have a means to take care of ourselves away from the Order," Mandarin explained.

"Please stop calling me Anni," Antauri grumbled. At that point, Lyndis came out with their sandwiches, Antauri's salad, and a pastrami sub for Mandarin. She took a moment to kiss her boyfriend, then returned to the kitchen.

Mandarin looked at the others. "Something wrong? Why is Otto the only one eating?"

"Well, what's in these? Some of us have food allergies," Gibson said.

"Don't worry, Gibson. Anni is trustworthy. He ordered the 'Power Subs' for you because they're ham, turkey and cheddar. Very little in there to cause an allergic reaction," Mandarin explained. Antauri made a face at the nickname. Satisfied, they joined Otto in eating their sandwiches. "Hey, by the way, just this once, it's on me," Mandarin said. "But _only_ this once, okay?" They all nodded. After lunch, Antauri and Mandarin led them upstairs, to their apartment above the cafe.

"Nice place," Otto commented. He spied a lovely vase sitting on an end table next to the couch. "Oh, this is cool!"

"Don't touch!" Mandarin snapped. Otto pulled his hand back immediately. "Sorry, but it's kind of expensive. I don't want to be the one to explain to Master Xan how it broke." Otto took three steps away from it. To him, Xan was a scary guy.

Sparx was over by the entertainment center, browsing through the CD collection. He stopped and pulled one out. "Hey, you guys listen to Michael Jackson?" he snickered.

"Blame Antauri for that. He likes to sing along with the - ahem - _guy_," Mandarin stated. A shoe collided with the back of his head. He turned and glared at his little brother, who glared right back with a face that said, "Don't mock my music."

"Ahem. Anyway, team, this way." Antauri motioned for them to follow.

"Did they finally finish the simulator then?" Mandarin asked.

"Yes. It came out better than expected. It's the perfect training area," Antauri answered. He turned into a door that was small enough to be confused with a closet. "In here, everyone." They all followed, and were enveloped by the same sort of energy that brought them to the Order, only this time it took them to a large, empty room with white walls, and a small computer panel on one side of the room. Antauri led them over to this panel, then turned to his brother. "You're the one in charge right now. What first?"

"Well, first I think we should all transform," he replied, rolling up a sleeve slightly to reveal the same sort of watch that they all now wore.

Everyone tapped their watch and said, "HYPER POWER UP!" Once they were all transformed, Sparx asked a question. "Why do we all say 'Hyper Power Up' when we transform?" The question threw them all off, as no one had even thought of it.

"Well, I guess that the Power Primate gives us the words we need to activate our powers. After all, you all knew how to use your powers right off the bat when I activated them, did you not?" Antauri answered. It was true. They hadn't even thought about it. They had simply known what to do.

Sparx then said, "It just feels silly somehow. I mean, with us doing something like that, maybe we should give ourselves a team name based on it or something? I dunno. . ."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Mandarin said. "What do you think of the name 'Hyper Force?'" They all paused to consider.

"Where did that come from?" Chiro asked.

"From no where, really," Mandarin answered. "I just think it sounds cool."

"Me too! I like it!" Otto agreed.

"It is an interesting name. I agree with Otto," Gibson said.

"I don't care, really," Nova said.

"It's fine with me," Antauri said.

"That works," Sparx said.

"I guess," Chiro said.

"Cool, then we all agree! From now on, we're the Hyper Force!!" Mandarin said. "Now then, for training. First of all, I would like to see what you're all capable of individually. I'd like for Sparx to go first. We'll set it on a low-level, just so I can see what your abilities are."

While they were doing this, Chiro walked over to Antauri, who was standing a bit away from the panel now that Mandarin was running things. "Hey, Antauri, what's the deal with your brother?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, sure, he comes across as a cool guy, but he's kind of a jerk, and I'm kinda getting a funny feeling about him," Chiro whispered.

"What kind of funny feeling?" Antauri asked in equally hushed tones.

"I don't know. It's more like something's gonna happen. I'm not really sure, but it feels like something bad it gonna happen with Mandarin," Chiro explained, realizing as he did how stupid he sounded.

Antauri smiled. "Don't worry Chiro. I know Mandarin can handle anything that comes his way. Sure, he can be a bit of a jerk, but he's someone we can count on, no mater what."

"I guess. . ."

"Chiro, you're next," Mandarin called. After everyone had gone (except Antauri, since Mandarin already knew his abilities), Mandarin suggested they do what he called "simple excercises" to improve their reflexes and senses. These exercises, however, various injuriesfor the Hyper Force, who was not used to this sort of thing. When he realised that Mandarin was not going to stop, Chiro went over to the panel himself and turned everything off. Most of them were thankful to the boy, but Mandarin looked irritated.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Shutting this down. Everyone's getting hurt!" Chiro responded.

"And your point? Do you think the Formless will be merciful and stop when one of us gets a bruise?" Mandarin yelled.

"I know that, but that's no reason to kill everyone in training. It's our first day of training! Don't you think we should be a little easier than this at first?"

Before Mandarin could counter, Antauri stepped in. "Brother, he has a point. They have not been trained their whole lives as we have been. We must be a bit more merciful, at least to start. We can build them up to the mid and then high levels." Mandarin grimaced, but consented. They changed back and exited the training room.

Mandarin rounded on the team. "Listen, I know that you're new at this, but a big responsibility has been placed on our shoulders. You need to be able to handle this sort of thing, and worse. I really did start us off easy today. If you can't even handle that, then perhaps you shouldn't be here."

"Alright, now you're being unfair, Mandarin," Antauri said, stepping forward. "You mustn't be that hard on them. Yes, they need to be able to handle things, but we can work on that. You don't need to make them feel bad just because they aaren't accustomed to things just yet."

Mandarin still seemed irritated, but he let the subject drop. "Fine. Just be here on Wednesday for more training." With that, he headed downstairs to the cafe. Antauri sighed.

"I'm sorry about that. He's not usually this harsh. I wonder if something happened to him while he was gone?" Antauri looked after his brother for a moment, then turned back to the team. "Anyway, Hyper Force, I do believe that brings an end to traing for today. Does anyone want to listen to some music?"

The team spent the rest of the afternoon listening to Antauri's (rather good) impersonation of Michael Jackson.

MANDARINISAFRUITWHYISHENAMEDMANDARIN

Eliyora: Phew! I hope that this chapter is satisfactory at least!

Kitalia: Madarin's a jerk!

Eliyora: He's supposed to be. Any fan of the original show will know why, too.

Kitalia: Yeah, I know, but come on! He was being. . .

Eliyora: No more harsh than a guy who's really serious about his training. It's called building a character. Wait. You'll see what I mean.

Kitalia: I hate waiting.

Eliyora: Yes, I know. Anyways, please review!! Thank you!!


	6. Chapter 6

"The Chosen"

Chapter Five

Eliyora: Erm, hi there. Yes, I know that this chapter has taken forever and a day, but please don't hate me for it! My computer got stolen from me while I was in the middle of writing the chapter, so I've had to start all over, and I kinda lost my flow. I'm so sorry!! Anyways, on with the story!

INSANITYISNOTSTRANGEITSAWAYOFLIFE

"Chiro! Down!" Otto yelled. Said boy dropped to the ground just in time to avoid an incoming missile.

"**MAGNA TINGLER BLAST!**" Sparx zapped the missile and blew it up. "You okay Kid?" he called.

"Yeah! Look out!" Chiro yelled back. Sparx turned around and saw a huge spike ball coming at his head.

"Sparx!" Nova yelled, tackling him to the ground, causing said spike ball to miss.

As they both sat up, Sparx turned to Nova with a flirty look, winked, and said, "You'd do anything to get close to me, wouldn't ya Nova?" Nova glared at him for a moment, but swiftly shoved him aside as a small barrage of laser blasts came at them.(1) A few seconds later, everything came to a halt.

"Alright, that wasn't too bad," Antauri called, ending the simulation. It was the next Saturday, and they were all gathered back at Antauri and Mandarin's apartment for training. "We still need to work on your reaction times. . ."

"We need to work at a higher level!" Mandarin snapped, interruping Antauri.

Antauri ignored him. "And you need to focus more on fighting and less on flirting." Here he gave Sparx a look, which was pointedly ignored. "I'd say it's time to call it a day."

"I'd say not," Mandarin said, glaring at his brother. "You're being too easy on them. Reactivate the simulation!"

"No, Mandarin," Antauri said. "We've all been at this for more than four hours. It's time to stop."

"As I said, if they can't take it, they shouldn't be here," Mandarin growled.

"As _I_ said, they are still new at this. Besides, even I'm starting to get tired. Over four hours straight is more than enough."

"We continue for another hour, then we stop."

"No! Mandarin!"

"HEY!" The sudden yell ended the argument. Everyone turned to see someone that they didn't expect to see here.

"Lady Kitalia!" Antauri yelped, turning bright red at having been caught acting in such a manner.

She smiled. "Now that I have your attention, Mandarin, Antauri is right. You are being far too harsh. You have all trained anough for the day."

Mandarin growled. "Lady Kitalia, I know you are the leader of the Order, but I am the leader of this team! I say that there is still more that they can learn this day!"

"Enough, Mandarin," she replied calmly. "Training is over for today. Now let's leave this room. There's no place to sit in here." With that said, she turned and left the room, the team following after her. Once they were back in the boys' apartment, that was when Antauri noticed something.

"Lady Kitalia, what are you wearing?" he asked. The girl had on a short lavender skirt, a powder blue tube top, an open short-sleeved button up shirt, and a pair of brown knee-high boots. Her hair was also pulled into a ponytail on top of her head.

Kitalia grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well, you see, I wanted to wear something that was a little cuter that that kimono today, since I was planning to come out for the day."

The single, intelligent word that left Antauri's mouth was, "Buh?"

Kitalia turned a light pink. "To make it simple, I snuck out for the day."

"You what?" Antauri yelled. "Kitalia! You are the leader of the Order! You can't just decide to play hookey!! What if something happens while you're away?"

"I know that, but it's been about two years since I last had a day off. Even I need time to have fun. I know I don't act like it, but we are only a year apart in age, after all. I just wanted one day to spend in the city with a friend that I haven't been able to properly spend time with since I was ordained as leader, Anni!" Kitalia said.

Sparx snickered. "She calls you Anni too?"

Antauri glared at the floor, blushing. "She's the one who came up with it," he grumbled.

"It's been his nickname since we were little, about six and seven years old," she explained.

"You two have known each other for that long?" Gibson asked.

Kitalia nodded. "We've been friends practically since we were in diapers. Things only changed when I became leader of the Order two years ago." She turned to grin at Antauri. "Being Mr. Formality, he's treated me differently. Admittedly, it's necessary in front of others, but when it's just us, or when we're with just any of our other friends, he still acts like he has a pole where his tail is!"(2)

Mandarin, Sparx, and even Chiro snickered at that. Antauri, blushing all the more, leveled a look at Kitalia. "That doesn't mean that you can just abandon your responsibilities for the day."

"Yes, I know, but I really just needed a day off. Besides, I want to get to know the team a bit better, especially you Chiro." She smiled at the boy.

"Hey, before you get any ideas, I've got a girlfriend," Chiro said quickly.

Kitalia laughed. "Oh, no, that's not what I meant. I just want to get to know you all better, that's all."

Just then a loud growl sounded. Everyone looked around for a moment before Otto moaned, "I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?"

There was resounding laughter. "You sure know how to change a mood, don't ya pal?" Sparx asked, putting a friendly arm around Otto's shoulders. The poor mechanic just looked confused. Still laughing, they all headed downstairs for some lunch.

ALLYOURBASEBELONGSTOUS

An half an hour later found the gang (minus Mandarin, who decided to train on his own) exploring the downtown area. Antauri had protested the entire time they were eating about Kitalia's responsibilities to the Order, but she had grabbed him in a hug, asking him to not give her a hard time or tell Xan about this. Needless to say Antauri, red-faced, had agreed, and he'd been pretty silent ever since then.

"So, where are we going to go first?" Kitalia asked.

"I want to hit the arcade, but they're still doing repairs after that Formless attack last week," Chiro said.

"I see. What's an arcade?" Kitalia asked.

Everyone except Antauri stared at her for a long minute, then Nova said, "Forget it. Let's go someplace that we can all have fun."

"Such as?" Gibson asked. Nova thought for a moment, then suggested a movie then the park.

"I call the seat next to Nova!" Sparx yelled, moving so that he was right next to her. Nova smacked him.

"Hey now, Nova, that's no way to treat a friend!" Kitalia exclaimed.

"Oh, they do that all the time," Chiro explained. "Sparx flirts, Nova smacks, Sparx whimpers for a few mintues, then we all move on."

"Strange," Kitalia observed.

"Well, you said you have friends in the Order. Don't any of them just act silly like that?" he asked.

"Not really. Everything in the Varon Order is serious, unless you happen to be taking a day off or something to that effect."

"Really? But waht about Antauri?" Chiro asked.

Kitalia looked at Antauri, who was observing Nova and Sparx quietly. "He does behave in an odd manner, but I can't recall any occasion other than when we were small children that he's done anything that would qualify as 'silly'," she finally said. "To be honest, it worries me. He takes things so seriously, sometimes too seriously."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Antauri is famous throughout the Order for two things. One, for being so strong with the Power Primate. Two, for giving himself chronic stress fevers."

"Say what?" Chiro yelped.

"It's true. I worry about him. After all, he's my best friend. He seems to be relaxing a bit ever since he met you and your friends, but I'm still concerned, and I probably always will be until he calms enough for his health to improve," Kitalia explained. "Please, watch out for him, okay?"

Chiro blinked. "I will, but why are you asking me to do it?"

Kitalia lowered her eyes. "Because of something I sense in you that has nothing to do with the Power Primate. You have a good, loving heart, Chiro."

"But what about his brother?" Chiro asked, although an unsettling feeling took residence in his stomache at the mention of Mandarin.

"I'm. . . not quite certain. Mandarin seems different as of late. The mission he had before the one he got back from this week, when he returned, he seemed changed in some subtle way. I can't put my finger on it, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to trust him as I used to. That is why I ask you to watch out for Anni, okay?" Chiro nodded.

"Hey! You guys done? We're gonna leave you behind!" Sparx called. They looked up and realized that the rest of the gang had moved down the street. They dashed to catch up.

After a (crappy) movie, the whole group headed to the park. Kitalia was having a ball. It had been far too long since she had been free to act her age. At this moment, she couldn't help but resent her position as leader of the Order.

"Hey, Chiro!" came a cheerful voice.

Chiro turned around. "Jinmay! Hi!" Jinmay launched herself onto him in a hug, which he gladly accepted. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just decided to take a walk, and look who I find in the park!" She turned to grin at everyone. "Is it okay if I keep him for a while?"

They laughed, but Chiro said, "Right now isn't a good time, Jinny. We're showing someone around the city."

"Oh? Who?" Jinmay inquired. Chiro pointed behind her to Kitalia. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even see you there. My name's Jinmay Apparatus. What's yours?"

"My name's Kitalia. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Jinmay," Kitalia greeted politely, holding out a hand. Jinmay accepted the handshake.

_**SPARK!!**_

Both girls simultaneously let out a yelp of surprise and immediately let go. Chiro and Antauri hurried over to them.

"Are you two alright?" Antauri asked.

"Yes, yes, just fine," Kitalia responded.

"Yeah. Must've been static or something," Jinmay added.

"Jeez. Don't scare me like that!" Chiro chided.

"Sorry," Jinmay apologized, smiling at her boyfriend, who immediately melted.

Antauri quietly slid over to Kitalia, but before he could ask, she answered, "I don't know. It felt. . . almost like the Power Primate, but not quite. Curious." She looked at her hand, then back up at Jinmay. "Keep an eye on her." Antauri nodded.

WHATALAMEPLACETOENDACHAPTER

Eliyora: Yes, I know. That is one cappy place to end the chapter, but I can't think of anything else eo add. I've sat staring at this chapter for hours, three days in a row.

Kitalia: It's also a crappy chapter to begin with.

Eliyora: Well, yeah, so I guess you can consider this a part one, and the next chapter I write will be part two.

Kitalia: Anyway, review please. No flaming!

(1) Such a cute moment from "Versus Chiro!" I had to use it!

(2) Shugazoom way of saying uptight.


	7. Chapter 7

"The Chosen"

Chapter Six

ICANTTHINKOFANYTHINGCUTE

In a dark chamber, the same witch that had attacked Antauri that first night sat on what looked like an evil throne, contemplating what to do. She had sensed it when the other children had been awakened to the Power Primate, even the tainted boy. At the time, she thought that simply sending a group of Formless after the awakened ones by having her creatures home in on the taint would be enough to kill them, but after one of the new ones had destroyed the Brain by herself, she rethought that. Even if they were new to their power, the Power Primate guided their hands. That meant that killing them would be no simpler than it ever was to kill Antauri and Mandarin, and she had to find a way to get rid of the obstacles before . . .

"Mistress Valina," came a voice, disturbing her thoughts.

The witch turned to the one who dared to bother her. "What is it, Sakko?" she demanded. Before her stood a boy who was obviously gender-confused; even though he was clearly male, he wore a yellow and green belly shirt, a green mini-skirt, green Mary-janes, and his short peach hair had a bow in it that matched his shoes.

Said boy kneeled before Valina. "Forgive me, Mistress, but _he_ wishes to speak with you," he said.

Valina stood. "I see. Leave now," she commanded. Sakko fled the room, and Valina walked out a different door and down a long hallway. She finally came to a stop before a large door, which opened before her.

As soon as she entered the chamber, a shadowed figure spoke, "Have you yet felt it?"

Valina kneeled before the man. "I have felt the awakening of the Power Primate in the Chosen, my Lord," she answered respectfully. "I am already attempting to. . ."

"Not that, you feeble-minded witch," the man said, surprising the Skull Sorceress. "Yes, the Chosen have awakened, and they must be dealt with, but there is more than that."

"What have you sensed that I have not?" she asked.

A pair of dark red eyes began to glow in the darkness. "My opposite has also been awakened, and he now fights alongside the Chosen," the man explained.

Valina gasped. "Your opposite?" she asked, looking up. "Are you certain of that my Lord?"

"Most certain," the man answered. He grinned, his long fangs apparent, even in the darkness. "With him awakened, all that there is left to accomplish is the extermination of the Varon Order."

A wicked smile appeared on Valina's face. "Yes. And this has already begun. There is at least one in the Order who will willingly serve us, and he is all we need to bring the Order down from within."

"Well done, Skull Sorceress," the shadowed man said. "Continue in this way, and we will certainly restore the glory of the Dark Ones!"

"Yes, my Lord," Valina hissed.

THATWASCREEPYTOWRITE

The school day was coming to a close, and Chiro was glad for it. However, there was still one little matter left to deal with. His class had taken a math exam three days ago, and today was the day that they got their scores back. Chiro wasn't _too_ worried, but you could never be sure. Math wasn't his best subject, after all.

"I wonder how I did on the exam," Gibson muttered. It was obviously just an out-loud thought, but Sparx scoffed at him.

"What'd'ya mean, 'I wonder how I did'?" he whispered. "You're a genious, Hal, and aside from science, math is you best subject. You aced it, I guarantee." He made a face. "I only wish I could be as sure of my score."

Towards the front of the room, Jinmay whispered to Nova, "How bad do you think you did?"

"Considering it was a pop quiz, not too bad," Nova answered. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm history," Jinmay replied. "I was really not ready for that."

"That's the point of a pop quiz," Nova whispered, smirking.

At that point, the teacher, a nice guy named Mr. Gakslapper, stood from his desk. "Okay, class. Here's you tests back. The scores weren't as bad as you're all probably imagining. Whether you realize it or not, you are all learning something in my class." He grinned as most of the students laughed. moving up and down between the desks and handing each paper back.

Chiro was holding his breath when he got his, but let it out when he saw that he got an 75. It wasn't the greatest score in the world, but at least he'd passed. Then he heard from behind him a whoop of joy. Turning around, he saw Sparx with one fist raised in victory.

"89 baby! WHOO!" he cheered. Chiro grinned. Sparx was terrible at math, so him receiving a score like that on a pop quiz was indeed something to celebrate.

Chiro turned in his chair to face Gibson. "What'd ya get?"

"I got 100," Gibson asked.

"Of course," Sparx grumbled, his joy crumbling. "And of course, that means another round of 'Way to go Hal' when we get home," he continued under his breath.

Chiro almost asked him what that was supposed to mean, but thought better of it. Instead, he turned to Otto. "How'd you do?"

Otto sighed. "I got a 67. I passed, but Mom's still gonna kill me."

"Ouch," Chiro sympathized. Then he saw Nova and Jinmay up front, both with content smiles on their faces. "And I bet that the girls got great scores, like always," he grumped. Just then, a loud thump startled the guys. Chiro turned towards the sound, and was surprised to realize that it had been from Antauri hitting his head on the desk, his test paper underneath him.

"That can't be good," he whispered to Otto, who nodded.

The bell rang, and Mr. Gakslapper announced, "Alright. I'm giving you a break from homework tonight so that those of you who didn't do so well can recover from the trauma, but tomorrow it's business as usual. Have a good evening, class." The room filled with the sounds of scraping chairs and mixed voices.

The girls made their way to the guys, and when they noticed Antauri's unhappy expression as he gathered his things, Nova asked in a quiet voice, "Did he fail or something?"

"I don't know," Chiro answered.

Antauri stood up and said quietly, "Let's get going." They all followed after him. After a short while, Antauri asked, "How'd you all do on the test?"

The boys shared their grades, and Otto gave another sigh. "I really should get tutoring. I suck at math."

"Oh, that's only on tests, and you know it," Nova assured him. "After all, you couldn't be such an awesome mechanic if you didn't have natural math skills."

"How do you figure?" Otto asked.

Before Nova could explain, Antauri asked, "What about you two? How'd you do?"

"Hm? Oh! I got a 93," Nova answered.

"What about you Jinmay?" Chiro asked.

"I did a lot better than I thought I would. I got an 87," she answered happily. After a moment, she turned to Antauri. "Um, how'd you do Antauri?" she asked hesitantly.

"I got an 85," he responded.

"You did? Then what're you all depressed about?" Sparx asked.

Antauri closed his eyes. "When Mandarin sees this grade, he'll have my tail. This is the worst math score I've ever received," he explained..

"An 85?" Nova said. "You're kidding. He's gonna get mad over that?"

"Extremely," Antauri sighed. "He despises it when I get anything less than a 90 in anything. If I ever do, he gets so mad that . . ." Antauri cut himself off abruptly, staring at the ground.

Jinmay was confused. "He gets so mad that what?" she asked.

"Never mind. Forget that I brought it up," Antauri answered quickly.

Jinmay stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, a horrified look etched itself onto her face. "He doesn't abuse you, does he?" she gasped. "Is that it?"

"What? No!" Antauri answered immediately. "What on Shuggazoom made you think that?"

Jinmay didn't look convinced. "Are you sure of that? If he is, you do know that you can tell us, right?" she said softly. "I know we haven't known you for very long, but we are your friends. We'll look out for you and help you if you need it. You know that, don't you?"

Antauri looked at her, then gave her a gentle, grateful smile. "I know," he whispered. "Thank you."

Jinmay placed a comforting hand on Antauri's shoulder, then turned to the gang. "I've gotta run. I'll see you guys later." With that, she hurried off, but she took one more worried glance over her shoulder at her new friend.

Chiro turned to him. "Mandarin's really not abusing you, right?"

Antauri shook his head. "No, he's not. I just couldn't finish that sentence in front of Jinmay," he explained. "See, when he gets mad at me over my grades, I'm in for long, _long_hours of training, and the worse the score, the higher the training level. I'm guessing that an 85 will equal an entire night at least, so if I'm not at school tomorrow, that's probably why." He sighed again. "I'm not surprised by this, though. The material Mr. Gakslapper is covering is different from what I was learning in the Order."

"Jeez, man, why do you even put up with Mandarin anyway?" Sparx asked.

"I agree," Gibson said. "His behaviour is annoying at best. I myself find him intolerable most of the time."

"He's not that bad, guys," Otto said.

"You would say that," Nova said. "You're way too nice to think badly of anyone."

"That's enough," Antauri snapped, startling them. "I'll give you that Mandarin is harsh sometimes, but he's my brother. He's the only family that I have. I won't put up with anyone badmouthing him like that, not even you guys." Antauri turned from them, an angry look on his face. "I'll see you guys later." With that, he ran down the street and out of sight.

They all watched him go, then Chiro muttered, "That doesn't change the fact that he's a jerk." He looked at the ground. "It also doesn't change that creepy feeling I get from him."

"What creepy feeling?" Gibson asked.

"I dunno," Chiro answered. "It's like, whenever I'm around Mandarin, I feel like something really bad is gonna happen, but I can't put my finger on it."

"What makes you think that?" Nova asked.

Chiro hesitated, then answered, "I think that it's the Power Primate trying to warn me."

Nobody spoke after that.

ANDTHATSWHYRABBITSWILLRULETHEWORLD

Eliyora: Wowie. I had such a hard time trying to pick up the story after the way I ended the last chapter, but I have now finished another chapter, and in one sitting no less!

Kitalia: So, Valina answers to someone, huh?

Eliyora: Yep.

Kitalia: Who is it?

Eliyora: I won't say here. All I'll tell you is that it's not a character from the show.

Kitalia: Really?

Eliyora: Really.

Kitalia: Aw man! Then I'll never figure it out.

Eliyora: Oh, you'll find out. Everyone will.

Kitalia: Yeah, in how many chapters?

Eliyora: (complete silence)

Kitalia: I hate it when you do that!!


	8. Chapter 8

"The Chosen"

Chapter Seven

IWANTAFIGNEWTONRIGHTNOW

The next morning, when Antauri did get to class, he looked awful. There were bags under his eyes, his shoulders sagged, he was walking like a zombie, and he had apparently forgotten about his hair, for it flew wildly about his head. The girls in class all instantly flew to his side, asking him what was wrong, was he sick, did he want to go to the nurse, and so on. Antauri was to exhausted to even try to defend himself, but luckily Jinmay came to his rescue.

"Back off you demented fans!! You're not helping him by suffocating him! Let the guy breathe!!" she yelled, pulling him aaway from the small mob.Once she got him to the safety of their friends, she gave him a ferocious glare. "Alright, what happened?" she demanded.

It took Antauri a moment to focus enough to answer, "Nothing really. I just had a long night."

"A long night of what? Defending yourself?" Jinmay pressed.

"Uh-huh," Antauri answered without thinking. He realized what he'd said an instant too late, for Jinmay had taken his answer as a confirmation of her suspicions.

"WHAT?" she screamed. "Then your brother..."

"Jinmay!" Chiro interrupted. "Bring it down a few decibels."

Jinmay lowered her voice, but did not calm down by any stretch of the imagination. "Antauri, you have to do something about it. You can't just sit there and take it! Go to a teacher, or the police, or something! Don't let your brother mistreat you!"

"Jinmay, I really appreciate your concern, but I'm fine," Antauri insisted. "I just phrased that answer the wrong way. Mandarin does not attack me physically or verbally. Yes, he's strict. I will give you that 1,000 percent. However, he is not abusive. I promise!"

"Antauri..." Jinmay began.

Chiro, seeing Jinmay's temper rise, intervened. "Hey, how about this? I spend a night at Antauri's house and report to you the next day?"

She considered this, then nodded. "I had just better get an accurate report," she warned.

"What else would I give you?" Chiro replied, finally getting his girlfriend to back off. The first bell rang and everyone moved to their seats.

Before Ms. Shenko arrived, Antauri whispered, "Thank you Chiro. I guess I really am lousy at dealing with girls."

Chiro grinned. "Well, that's obvious! If you weren't you'd be going out with L..."

"Shut up!" Antauri snapped, his pale face turning pink.

"Is there a problem?" came a nasty voice. The second bell had rung and Ms. Shenko had arrived.

Antarui swallowed hard and said, "No, ma'am."

"Good. Now be silent or I will give you a week's detention!" she snarled, moving to the front of the room to take attendance. When she finished, she allowed them to speak. Most of the gang moved together to talk, but Antauri simply put his head down and seemed to fall right to sleep. Chiro couldn't help but be concerned. Had Mandarin really been that hard on him that he was sleeping during the day? He continued to wonder throughout the morning because Antauri kept nodding off. He didn't actually find out what was wrong, though, until gym class.

They were in the basketball unit and normally Antauri was a good player because he was so quick. Today, however, he was bringing his team down in a big way. He missed shots and passes, continuously stumbled over his own feet (and his tail twice), and wasn't moving half as fast as he normally did. It all came to a head when Antauri, for seemingly no reason, dropped to his knees in the middle of the game. This, naturally, brought the game to a screeching halt and the teacher and half of the class rushed over to him.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Mr. Cheepers, the teacher, asked.

Antauri nodded and gave an unconvincing smile. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

_"Antauri's famous throughout the Order for two things. One, for being so strong with the Power Primate. Two, for giving himself chronic stress fevers."_

Lady Kitalia's words floated through Chiro's mind and he pushed his way to Antauri. Placing a hand on his friend's forehead, he grimaced. "You have a fever."

"What?" Mr. Cheepers yelped, placing his own hand on Antauri's head. "Damn. You need to go to the nurse's office."

"No, no! I'm fine, really!" Antauri insisted, trying to stand up, only to fall back to his knees. "...dizzy..."

"I'll take him Mr. Cheepers," Chiro said.

"Thank you Chiro," the teacher said. He stood and turned to the rest of the class. "Okay boys, back to basketball. Let's go!"

Chiro helped Antauri to his feet, though Antauri had to lean on him to remain upright. While they made their way down the hall, Chiro asked, "Do you always try to act like nothing's wrong when you have a stress fever? That's a good way to make it worse."

Antauri started at Chiro's words. "How do you know..." he trailed off as realization dawned on him. "Lady Kitalia," he muttered.

"Yep," Chiro confirmed. "She's worried about you, so she aked me to keep an eye on you."

Antauri blushed, even though it was hard to tell under his flushed face. "She would. She never did know when to relent, even when we were kids."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chiro asked.

Antauri gave a short laugh. "It's like she said, Chiro. She and I have been friends since we were mere children. I doubt that there's anyone in the world who knows her as well as I do." He laughed again. "Until she became the leader of the Order, we were on the same team. Her, myself, Mandarin, and another friend of mine named Eliyora would undertake missions together. I remember this one time, when we were after a Skeletal Circle creep named Scapperton, that Kitalia demonstrated exactly how relentless she could be."

WAITANDSUFFERINAGONY

Kitalia: Oh no. Tell me you're not doing a self-insertion!!

Eliyora: Sort of, but believe me, I'm doing so only sparingly. I don't want to ruin a good story by throwing myself in.

Kitalia: Well, I guess that's alright. Just watch how much you...

Eliyora: I know! I'm going pretty heavy on the OC's in this story, though, so back off!! I've already gotten permission to use the most awesome Hyperforce OC's ever, plus I'm putting you in there, not to mention another friend that I asked if it was okay. And besides all of that, there's others that will show up. I know that I need to be careful with all of that, so don't lecture me, damn it!!

Kitalia: ... Had a bad day at work?

Eliyora: L-leave me alone! (pouts)


	9. Chapter 9

"The Chosen"

Chapter Eight

Eliyora: Okay, just to remind everybody, the last chapter ended with Antauri about to tell of one of his missions in the past, so most of this chapter is going to be a flashback.

Kitalia: Enjoy!!

OVERNIGHTJOBSSUCKEGGS

_"Come on, hurry up everyone! We need to move if we're gonna catch this guy!" a three-years-younger Kitalia called down a fairly steep hillside. _

_"Hey, some of us are tired here! Calm the hell down!" came an irritated reply. The speaker was Mandarin, and he had a slightly annoyed look on his face which was mirrored by Antauri and their fourth teammate, a teen girl with long purple hair held in two ponytails._

_"Well, and here everyone calls you the star pupil of the Order. Wouldn't they love to see you now," Kitalia teased._

_The other girl laughed. "Now that's not fair Kitty. You're the strongest in the Power Primate in the entire Order," she said._

_Antauri gave a small smile. "Eliyora, what does that have to do with anything?"_

_Eliyora shrugged. "I was just saying."_

_Mandarin caught up with her and smiled. "Well, it's nice to know that there's _someone_ who's on my side," he said. Pausing a moment to catch his breath, he continued, "Let's get going."_

_They continued up the hillside until they reached the wide, grassy plain that was the top. From their position, they were able to see a strange structure that looked like an upside-down blue pyramid._

_"That's the place," Mandarin said. "Scrapperton is in there."_

_"Alright then, leader man, what's the plan?" Eliyora asked Mandarin._

_"For now, we move in quietly, slowly, so we don't alert anyone to our presence. After we determine where Scapperton is exactly, we move quickly to capture him and bring him to the Order for interrogation. Understood?" The other three nodded, and they moved forward carefully. Mandarin made a signal with his hand, and Antauri transformed his claws and deactivated the alarms. Slipping in, they hid themselves when they came across a pair of robotic patrolmen._

_"I've got them," Eliyora whispered, slipping away from the team. Sneaking up quietly behind the guards, she used her Energy Whip to take off their heads in one clean snap. The robots dropped to the floor and they hurried to hide them in a small locker before continuing._

_"You've got the specs on this place, Ani. Where do we go from here?" Mandarin asked._

_Antauri made a face at the nickname, but checked the file stored in his communicator. "Down this corridor, second left, then a right. Straight from there will be the security."_

_Mandarin nodded and they proceeded. However, as they made it to the hall that lead to security, Kitalia stopped. Mandarin looked at her. "What is it?"_

_"Doesn't this seem a bit easy to you?" she asked. "I mean, this entire floor in this huge building and we've only run into one patrol?"_

_Eliyora nodded slowly. "She's right. This is way too easy."_

_Mandarin turned to Antauri. "Ani, do you sense anything amiss?" he demanded._

_Antauri closed his eyes and focused for a bare half-second, then yelled, "GET DOWN!!!!!" They all dropped to the floor just in time to avoid a laser that would have sliced them all in half._

_Sitting up, Eliyora said what they were all thinking, "WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?"_

_"Oh dear, such language out of a lady's mouth. That simply will not do," came a proper-sounding voice from the direction of the laser. They all turned and saw the one and only Scrapperton, who was looking for all the world like he had no greater concern than the sort of language a lady used. "I think you need a lesson in proper etiquette, young lady."_

_Eliyora scowled. "Go to hell you f****** d***! I'll use whatever damn language I f****** want to without being lectured by some p****-ass c***-s*****!!"_

_"Stop that," Mandarin said to Eliyora (which only earned another swear), before turning to Scrappterton and saying, "How did you know we were coming?"_

_Scrapperton chuckled politely. "My boy, did you think I was unaware of your pusuit? Oh no, I'm afraid you walked into a trap, _tick-tock_! You really should think a bit more carefully before walking into an enemy's stronghold, _tick-tock_."_

_Kitalia gave Scrapperton a dark grin. "Well, you should also think a bit more carefully before walking out to meet your enemies all alone," she said before throwing her yo-yo-like weapon at Scrapperton's head._

_He dodged it easily, and began walking at a lazy pace towards Kitalia. She continued her attacks, joined by the rest of the team, but Scrapperton was remarkably agile. He didn't suffer so much as a scratch by the time he stood before Kitalia. All he said was, "Forgive me my rudeness, but I am under orders to eliminate any of the Varon Order that I encounter." He then grabbed Kitalia by the throat and lifted her clean off the ground._

_When the others stopped, Scrapperton turned, Kitalia still in hand, and said, "Do be good children and surrender now, _tick-tock._ I'd really rather not strangle a young girl with my own hands."_

_There was a bare moment's hesitation before Antauri lowered his claws, followed by Eliyora dropping her whips and Mandarin dropping his sword. Scrapperton nodded approvingly. "Good lads," he remarked before letting Kitalia fall to the floor. Antauri began to move towards her, but the Scrapperton aimed a gun at her head. He recognized it as the source of the laser he'd fired at them before. "Now, none of that heroic stuff. Can't have you stirring up any trouble before Valina gets here. Now then, to the prison, all of you. Should any of you misbehave, I will kill this one." He picked up the unconscious Kitalia, keeping the laser on her head, and guided them to the prisons._

SQUIRRELYWRATHWILLOWNYOURSOUL

_"GOD DAMN ASS-L****** C***-S****** S***-E***** SON OF A P****-M******!!!!!!!"_

_"Are you about done?" Antauri asked._

_Taking a deep breath, Eliyora replied, "Pretty much. How are we getting out of here with our transformers?"_

_Kitalia, who was still rubbing a sore neck, said, "We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. We came here to get Scrapperton, and I for one am not leaving a mission unaccomplished." She then turned to Mandarin. "Is that pendant you wear still on a wire?"_

_"Or course," Mandarin snapped._

_"Perfect. I'm going to need that wire for just a minute."_

_Mandarin stared at her. "You don't seriously think you're going to be able to pick the lock with a wire. You can't even get into your room when you forget your key!"_

_Kitalia cleared her throat, and answered, "I don't deny that. However, there it someone here who has far more talented hands than mine." She looked at Antauri. "Ani, if you would be so kind?"_

_Antauri blushed lightly, but took the wire from his brother and worked on the lock. While he fiddled with it, Eliyora asked, "Is that true?"_

_"Is what true?" Kitalia asked._

_"That you lock yourself out of your room?"_

_Kitalia blushed slightly. "Not entirely, but I don't deny that it has happened. Mandarin's exaggerating."_

_Mandarin snorted. "Not by much."_

_Before Kitalia could respond, Antauri added, "That's why I know how to pick locks."_

_"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!!!" Kitalia screeched as the other three began snickering (though Antauri was doing his best to conceal it). A moment later, the door swung open._

_"You know, for someone who loves technology, Scrapperton sure uses a simple lock," Antauri noted._

_"You're right. This was too easy, again," Kitlaia replied._

_"I just found why," Eliyora called. She had walked ahead to the door, and found a security keypad and screen. By the display on the screen, the damned thing was code-crypted._

_"Oh hell," Mandarin said. "This'll take way too long to bypass. Now what?"_

_Kitalia stepped forward. "We try anyway." She frowned at the device. "Now, this is going to be a serious trick. We can't enter the codes at random; that'll take far too long. But at the moment, we don't have much of a choice. We don't have any sort of a hint as to what the code might be."_

_"Let's think this through," Antauri suggested._

_Kitalia grimaced. "Normally I'd agree, but right now I'm pissed, so to hell with thinking!!" She then swung around in a powerful kick and smashed the security pad, disabling it but also tripping the alarm._

_Mandarin glared. "Nice going! Now we're going to have all of security after us!"_

_Kitalia replied, "I know, but it's more important that we find our transformers than stand here and complain! Let's go!"_

_They all ran for it, even though they had no idea where they were going. Who knew where Scrapperton had their transformers? Even without them, though, the four of them were formidable. Any and all security they ran into found themselves sporting broken noses, concussions, and various sprained joints. They continued forward until they met with a group of fighters that looked like more than just security. For a moment it seemed that Kitalia was about to charge at them anyway, but Antauri pulled at her arm._

_"Come on! We can't win like this!" he said. After a moment, Kitalia agreed and they ran down a different corridor, followed by the enemy and their laser-fire._

_"In here!" Mandarin ordered, ducking into a small room. The other three followed, and they lost the enemy._

_"That was too close for comfort," Eliyora remarked._

_Antauri nodded in agreement, but then became distracted by something. Kitalia noticed first. "What's wrong Ani?"_

_Antauri closed his eyes and focused on something. A few moments later, he said, "I can sense a small pulse of the Power Primate. It's too small to be from a person."_

_"It must be our transformers!" Mandarin said. "Where are they?"_

_Antauri shuddered. Opening his eyes, he looked at Kitalia. "Well, it looks like you're going to get your fight. Scrapperton's got them himself."_

_Eliyora opened her mouth, but Kitalia covered it with her tail. "If you can sense it that clearly, then he's on this floor. Can you tell what direction?"_

_"Vaguely," Antauri replied._

_"Better than nothing. Let's go!" Mandarin said._

_They ducked out of the small room and headed in the direction Antauri said. After a few minutes of smashing through security, they reached what seemed to be a throne room, where Scrapperton was sitting, looking at the transformers with mild curiosity._

_"These really are quite fascinating," he said as though they'd all been chatting over tea. "They appear to be nothing more than watches, yet they are the key to your tapping into the true depths of your Inner Primate. I must say, they would make splendid additions to my collection, _tick-tock_."_

_"Collection?" Kitalia asked._

_Scrapperton waved his hand all around them. "Why, this entire place, and everything in it. It took years to collect all of this, _tick-tock_. It has been well worth the venture, though. The Skeletal Circle has been most generous to me in exchange for the use of some of my acquisitions. They really are delightful fellows. It is a shame that you of the Varon Order cannot see that."_

_Eliyora said, "The Circle is about as delightful as being ass-f***** with a rusty lead pipe! You fools seek to revive the Dark Ones, and we of the Varon Order will not abide by it!"_

_Scrapperton stood and, to their surprise, tossed them back their transformers. "There you are. Now be good lads and transform yourself. I'll not be made a barbarian by killing helpless teenagers."_

_Kitalia looked at him a moment, then said, "Wait everyone. There's no way he'd just give them back without a fight. Something's not right here."_

_Antauri hovered his hand over the transformers for a moment, then said, "She's right. He's tampered with them! If we use them now, there's no telling what may happen."_

_Scrapperton sighed. "Oh dear. I did not expect you to think that rationally, _tick-tock_. Anyone who would be foolish enough to destroy a security panel is likely hot-headed and unlikely to be rational. Oh well, such is the game. Either way, you're quite helpless now that you can't transform, _tick-tock-tick-tock_! I'd say it's time to see how well the Order trains their youngsters, _tick-tock-tick-tock_!!"_

_Scrapperton pulled out the same weapon he'd used against them before in the hall. They just barely managed to dodge when he fired. Scattering around the room, they each grabbed something they could use as a weapon and rushed at him._

SORRYNOACTIONSCENE

"What happened?" Chiro asked.

"To make it short, Kitalia almost battered him into the ground, Eliyora was left with a scar that still hasn't faded, and Scrapperton escaped at the last minute," Antauri finished.

Chiro winced. "I bet she was happy about that."

"Oh, yeah. She was breathing fire for days," Antauri sighed, remembering the splitting headache he'd endured just by listening to her complain. "But do you see what I mean? Kitalia will not give up. She is relentless. She's gotten better since becoming leader of the Order, but still..."

"Oh, stop complaining," Chiro said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "You're just miffed that she worries about you getting sick."

Antauri made a face and turned his head away. "That's not true," he complained.

"I've got news for you, pal. After what happened in gym, we're all going to worry about you. You can bet that Sparx is gonna tell Nova, and Nova will tell Jinmay. We're all gonna be keeping an eye on you now."

Antauri sighed, but remained quiet. They had reached the nurse's office anyway. Inside, a kind woman with ice-blue hair ushered Antauri to lay down on one of the little cots. After taking his temperature, she decided that he was to go home for the remainder of the day. As she left to call Mandarin, Antauri muttered a sarcastic, "Joy."

Chiro looked at him, surprised. "What? You get to leave early!"

Antauri grimaced. "It's just, one of two things are going to happen. One, Mandarin is going to get mad about me getting a fever and fly off the handle when I'm recovered or two, he's going to go into what I call 'Super Brother Mode' and smother me until I get over it. He always does one or the other when I get sick."

"Fly off the handle?" Chiro asked.

"I mean he's going to scream for an hour and then go train for another," Antauri grumbled. "At least he waits until I feel better to do it."

The nurse came back in. "Your brother said he'd be here in fifteen minutes. He sounded rather worried."

"Great. Here comes 'Super Brother.'" At Antauri's groan, Chiro snickered.

"I'll let the teachers know you went home, okay?" he said once he finished laughing.

"Okay. And do me a favor and try to keep Jinmay from assaulting me when I get back to school," Antauri requested, suddenly seeming nervous.

Chiro laughed again. "You catch on quick. See ya. I'll drop by later to check on you!" Then Chiro dashed back to gym, even though the period was almost over. On the way back, he began thinking, _Mandarin gets mad at Antauri when he gets sick? That's not normal. .... Maybe Jinmay's onto something. I still can't bring myself to trust Mandarin._

IGIVEMYSELF1000POINTS

Eliyora: Well, after who knows how long and many false starts, I finally finished a fresh chapter!! I hope I'm keeping up to the standard that you all are expecting of me. Also, sorry about the lack of a fight scene. Fighting scenes are my Achilles Heel. I'll try to do a real one soon to make up for this one.


	10. Chapter 10

"The Chosen"

Chapter Nine

"He went home? His fever was that bad?" Sparx asked during lunch, looking faintly worried. He and Chiro were eating separately from the rest of their friends, mostly so they could escape Jinmay's constant questions about their long-haired friend.

"Yeah, and he was complaining that his brother was going to either smother him until he was better, or get mad when he was recovered," Chiro replied.

"Get mad?" Sparz asked, startled.

"That was my reaction too," Chiro responded. "It's not normal. I'm really wondering about Mandarin. I mean, the way he runs the training sessions, the standards he holds Antauri to, the way he screams at everyone whenever Formless attack, and now this." Chiro shook his head. "Even though she doesn't know the whole story, I think Jinmay night be onto something as far as how Mandarin treats his brother. We already knew from the get-go that he was a jerk. Remember the way he greeted us? 'The short kid, the dim-looking one, the one with geeky glasses.' And he won't show any sort of respect to anybody the girlfriend of his, maybe a little to Antauri, and Kitalia."

"You too," Sparx pointed out.

"Really?" Chiro said.

"Yeah. It's like the only thing he respects is power or something. Kitalia is the only one in the Order who's stronger than him, and you're really powerful too. We all can see that. Antauri's no wuss either."

"Yeah, but there's a hole to that. If he only respects power, why would he respect Lyndis so much?" Chiro asked.

"That's true," Sparx admitted, taking a bite of his apple.

"Anyway, since when do you care? I thought you didn't like Antauri?" Chiro asked.

Sparx turned a pale pink. "I don't," he snapped, turning his head away and taking another large bite of his apple, which he nearly choked on.

Chiro raised an eyebrow at him, but let it drop. Sparx had as of late been getting weird whenever the subject of Antauri had come up. He would seem a little worried for about thirty seconds, then turn right back to his usual "who-gives-a-crap" attitude. Chiro recognized the pattern, though. He mentally smirked. Against his own wishes, Sparx was starting to consider Antauri a friend. The only problem was that he still saw the guy as a rival for popularity. Well, maybe at some point in the near future, he would get over it when he realized the Antauri really did _not_want all the attention he got from the student body. Chiro had a feeling that Antauri was going to need all the friends he could get soon.

Chiro shook his head. Where had that thought come from?

IWANTTOLICKAFISH

Chiro wasn't sure why, but he really wanted to stop by Antauri's after school. It kind of felt like something was pulling him to his friend. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of voicing his plans in front of Jinmay.

"Oh, that's a good idea," she said instantly. "I don't have anything resembling a lesson today, so I can tag along. I want to see for myself what kind of home life Antauri has. Any objections?"

None of them were that stupid.

After school, the whole gang headed for Herbal Spirit together, with Jinmay at the head of the group. They were surprised to find the cafe closed. Gibson spotted Lyndis locking up the place and called to her.

"Miss Lyndis, why are you closing so early?" he asked.

Lyndis sighed. "Mandarin told us to. He wants to make sure everything is as quiet as possible so that Antauri can get some rest. Poor boy. Ani looked so pale when Mannie brought him home."

Chiro thought he detected a faint tinge of satisfaction in her voice, but decided he'd imagined it.

"Any chance we can get upstairs to see him?" Otto asked.

"Sure, I guess. The side door goes directly upstairs. It should still be unlocked," Lyn answered.

"Thanks," Otto said, smiling brightly. They headed around the side of the building.

"Say, did anyone else notice..." Chiro began.

"Notice what?" Sparx asked.

"...Nevermind," Chiro said after a moment. They found the door was, indeed unlocked, so they headed up without another word.

_**"...why I take solo missions in the first place!"**_

"What was that?" Jinmay asked as they reached the top of the stairs and another door.

"That sounds like Mandarin," Nova said nervously. She'd been a little edgy around him ever since he got upset about the fact that she didn't like the cold.

_**"This is also why Kitalia won't let you take solo missions!"**_ Mandarin's voice continued to scream.

"Brother, that's not true and you know it. I just choose not to. You're the one who's so obsessed with missions and becoming stronger, not I," came Antauri's calm, if a little faint, voice.

Mandarin seemed to pause. He then said, much more calmly, "Look, just get back in bed, alright? You don't have to worry about training today, and I'm sorry if I made you think you do no matter what. You're not like the others, you've been trained your whole life. It's only recently that..."

"Hey, are we interrupting anything?" Chiro called, cutting Mandarin off before he could say anything about the Varon Order for Jinmay's ears to hear.

A few moments later the door opened to a surprised Mandarin. "How long have you guys been there?" he asked, letting everyone in. They saw Antauri was sitting on the couch in his pajamas, a blanket wrapped around his body. Lyndis had been right. He really did look pale.

"Hey, you okay buddy?" he asked, moving to sit next to him.

"As well as can be expected," Antauri answered.

"Well that's not saying a lot, considering I don't expect much," Jinmay said, turning to Mandarin. "What the hell were you screaming at him about? He's got a fever, for crying out loud! Don't tell me you were mad at him because he got sick!! It's probably your fault anyway!!!!"

Mandarin stared at her. "And you are?" he asked.

"Jinmay Apparatus, Antauri's official guardian angel," Jinmay sneered. "I'm going to make sure he doesn't suffer through whatever the hell it is you've been putting him through!"

"What I've been putting him through?" Mandarin asked.

"Well, I don't pretend to have all of the evidence, and I can't say that I know Antauri well enough to know if he's lying about anything, but so far, I have seen a lot of evidence that suggests that his home life isn't exactly a happy one," Jinmay said.

"Buh?" Mandarin said stupidly.

"She's under the impression that you've been abusing him," Otto whispered to him.

"Say what?" Mandarin snapped, turning his head to Otto.

"Like I said, I don't have solid proof, but this wouldn't be the first time I've had a friend with a less than stable home, and he can tell you that I do not stand crap like that," Jinmay growled.

Mandarin turned back to Jinmay, looking a little ticked. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? I mean, this is the first time I've ever met you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jinmay demanded. "I never once met my friend's parents, but with abuse cases, the evidence is not that hard to find, especially when you already know what to look for."

"Now you listen here, girl!" Mandarin snapped. "I don't know who you think you are, but if you think I mistreat my brother, you are sorely mistaken! Yes, we live an unusual life. I won't deny that. However, I don't put my hands on him unless we are training!"

"What sort of training?" Jinmay said.

Chiro became nervous. Jinmay wasn't supposed to know about the Varon Order, but it looked like Mandarin, in his temper, was about to spill the beans.

"Our martial arts training," Antauri interjected. Chiro looked at him and realized that he looked vaguely nervous as well, meaning he had also seen what his brother was about to do.

Jinmay turned to Antauri. "Martial arts?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes. I've been trained in martial arts for a long time. So has he. We train all the time together, including sparring. Of course he's going to try to hit me when we spar, and of course I'm going to defend myself," Antauri said. Unfortunately, it came out a bit rushed, so Jinmay wasn't completely convinced.

As always.

Jinmay sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'm just looking out for a friend." She turned a dark glare to Mandarin, then went to sit on Antauri's other side. "That's no excuse for acting this way because you're sick, and what was that babbling about missions?"

Antauri cleared his throat. "It's nothing, Jinmay. Again, thank you for looking out for me, but I'm fine."

"Fine except for a damn fever," Sparx muttered. Antauri glared at him as this set Jinmay off on a different branch.

"That's right! Your fever! You've got to get to bed. Come on, up and to bed!" she said, pulling him to his feet.

"Jinmay, really, I'm..." Antauri began.

"Where's his room?" she asked Mandarin.

"Down the hall, fourth on the left," he answered numbly.

"Come on! March!" she said, pushing him gently.

"Jinmay, calm down. I'm not as dizzy as before. I can get to my room on my own," Antauri protested. Jinmay continued to usher him as though he had not spoken.

Once they were out of the room, Mandarin turned to glare at the rest of the team. He looked like he wanted to punch something. "What the hell were you all thinking, bringing her here? She's not of the Order, and I don't feel the Power Primate in her!"

"It wasn't our call," Gibson said. "Once Jinmay becomes convinced that one of her friends needs help, there's no stopping her. She would crawl naked, belly down over hot coals if that was what it took to protect someone she cares out."

"Hey, watch what you say about my girlfriend," Chiro snapped. Mandarin turned to him.

"Your girlfriend? Then why don't you try to control her a little?" he demanded.

Chiro stood up from the couch, growing mad himself. "Control? Jinmay's my girlfriend, not a pet! There's no 'control' anywhere in our relationship. We're on equal ground, thank you very much! Why? Do you 'control' Lyndis?"

Mandarin snarled. "Of course. When she needs to be brought into line, I do so, and she does the same to me! Now _that_ is equal ground!"

Chiro's face was turning red, he was getting so mad. "You're ridiculous!!"

Mandarin's hand balled into a fist. "Don't you call me ridiculous, boy!" He raised his fist as though he meant to hit Chiro.

**"Don't you dare!!!"**

They turned to see Jinmay standing in the doorway that lead to the hall. Her friends had seen her mad before, but never like this. She was apparently ready to rip Mandarin's throat out with her teeth. She advanced on Mandarin, snarling like she had never snarled before.

For just a bare second, Chiro could have sworn that her eyes glowed a bright red.

"If you lay so much as a finger on any of my friends, and that includes Antauri, and if you so much as _breathe_on Chiro, I will have you arrested for assault and tried for child abuse. That is a _promise_," she said in a dangerously quiet voice. "And my mother's a judge. I can make it happen." She turned to the rest of the gang. "Come on, guys, let's go." Everyone except Chiro followed her. "Chiro?"

"Just a sec, Jinny. I'll be right behind you," Chiro group headed downstairs and Chiro turned to Mandarin. "What are you doing?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mandarin demanded.

"When you first got here, yeah, you were a jerk, but you were tolerable. Slowly but surely, though, you've been getting worse. I don't just mean the way you treat us newbies. I also mean the way you treat Antauri. He's your brother, and your only living family, right? So why would you be so horrible?"

"Chiro!" Jinmay called.

Chiro turned to leave, but not before saying, "Just remember this. Jinmay isn't the only one who looks after her friends, and you and I are not now, nor have we ever been friends." He left, closing the door behind him.

Not even an instant later, a crash was heard as the vase that Mandarin had told Otto not to touch collided with the door right where Chiro's head had been.

HAPPYHOLIDAYSTOALL

Eliyora: Happy holidays, one and all!! For Christmas, I present to you a new chapter. I hope it's alright. I kinda typed it up at four in the morning.

Kitalia: Normally this is where I would make a wisecrack, but it _is_Christmas. I'll forego in this once.

Eliyora: Thank you, my sarcastic OC. Anyways, enjoy everyone!


	11. Chapter 11

"The Chosen"

Chapter Ten

Antauri went back to school two days later. He endured his fan club's squealing concern, Jinmay's gentle-but-fierce question, and Ms. Shenko's harassment about missing school. He put up with Chiro, Otto, and Nova constantly asking him if he was feeling better. He tolerated Gibson's want to check for himself to see if Antauri was fully recovered. The only one who left him alone was Sparx, and oddly enough, he was very grateful for it.

On their way to the science lab, Antauri pulled Sparx away from the rest of the gang and said, "Sparx, I want to say thanks."

Sparx looked at him, surprised. "Thanks for what?"

"For giving me some space today. Everyone else has been breathing down my neck, making sure I'm alright. I appreciate their concern and everything, but I can't help but feel like their crowding me, watching me, like they're just waiting for something to be wrong. You're really the only one who's had the presence of mind to realize that I don't need to be stalked this way, so I want to thank you for that," Antauri explained.

Sparx wasn't quite sure what to say. He hadn't left Antauri alone because he knew that was what Antauri wanted. He'd done it because he really didn't want to show any concern, because if he did, it would mean that he and Antauri were becoming friends, and he didn't need to be friends with a rival. At least, that's what he kept on telling himself. He was damned determined to keep it that way.

"Hmph. It's not like you need another sap hanging off your tail or anything. Whatever," he said, moving away. Antauri watched him for a moment, then sighed and moved into the lab.

"Okay class, welcome to your first official science lab," said their teacher, an older woman whose grey hair was kept in a bun. "I am Mrs. Almas, your lab instructor. Now then, the first thing we need to do is select lab partners. I'll allow you to select on your own, and those of you who can't choose, I'll choose for you. Now then, start selecting!"

Nearly all of the students moved to work with their friends. Chiro and Jinmay partnered up, as did Otto and Nova, and the Gibson twins as well. Unfortunately, this left Antauri as the odd man out, so he just stood around, looking and feeling a little awkward. A few of the fangirls that were in his class tried to partner up with him, but Antauri swiftly moved away from them. After chasing him around for a few minutes, the girls gave up and started pairing up amongst themselves, which still left Antauri without a partner. Finally, everyone who had someone to choose had chosen, leaving a couple of students without partners.

Mrs. Almas stepped forward. "Okay then, I'm assuming you don't really have anyone to work with, so let's choose. Um, Rick, you can work with Helen over there. Sora, you and Derrick can work together. Antauri, you can work with Ebony over here." Mrs. Almas gestured to a pretty girl with long purple hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled warmly at him as they moved to a table.

"So, I finally get to offically introduce myself to you," she said cheerfully as they sat down. At Antauri's wary look, she quickly clarified, "Oh don't worry. I'm not one of your fangirls. You're cute and a nice guy and all, but you're not exactly my type."

Antauri let out a breath. "I suppose most boys would be insulted by that, but I, for one, am quite relived. I have enough girls grabbing at my tail."

Ebony laughed. "Cute, nice, and well-spoken to boot. I think we'll be good friends from now on." Antauri smiled at her.

"Okay class, pay attention," Mrs. Almas called. "Since it's the first lab of the year, we're going to start small. That is, no chemicals this class." There were a few groans from people who had looked forward to that, but the teacher ignored them. "For now, we'll be going over basic chemical compounds. Here, the information is in this packet I'm handing out." She walked around the classroom, handing each student the material and continuing her lesson. Antauri, however, was little distracted.

"So that's why Jinmay's been so irritable lately," Ebony mused after Antauri answered her questions. "Well, I wouldn't let it bother you. It just means you're an important friend to her."

"Yes, I know," Antauri replied. "Even so..."

Ebony looked at him. "What?"

Antauri shook his head. "Nothing, never mind. We should pay attention before we get in trouble."

JACKBENIMBLEJACKWANTSASANDWICH

At lunch, Jinmay spoke to Nova about something she'd noticed in class. "Hey, do you see what I see?" she whispered.

Nova looked to where Jinmay was pointing and saw Antauri talking to Ebony. "Yeah, he's talking to Ebs. So?" she asked.

Jinmay gave her a look. "So? So they've been talking ever since lab!"

Nova, who was getting what Jinmay was about to say, intervened. "Forget it Jinmay. Antauri already has a girl he likes, and it's not Ebony."

"Really? Who?" Jinmay asked.

"It wouldn't be fair of me to say it. He gets really shy about it," Nova explained.

Jinmay grumped. "Well, I think him having a girlfriend would be a good thing. It could help distract him from whatever he goes through at home. I'll ask again, who is it?"

"It's no one you're familiar with anyway," Nova said. "She doesn't go to our school." Jinmay relented at that. Seeing an opportunity, Nova asked, "Why are you so obsessed anyway? I thought you were dating Chiro!"

Jinmay glared at her. "I am! I'm not interested in Antauri romantically. I just remember how bad things got last time before we were able to stop it, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else."

Nova looked down. "You mean, when we helped....."

Jinmay said, "Yes. I will not let it go that far again! He was on the verge of committing suicide. I refuse to let another of my friends go through that!"

While the girls talked, Antauri and Ebony continued their chat. "Wowie! I've never been to Cathar City! That's practically on the other side of the world! I'm so jealous!!" Ebony said.

Antauri smiled. "It was just a little trip. To be honest, I didn't even get to see much of the city."

"But you've really been as far away as that? What an exciting life you must lead!" Ebony said.

Antauri reflected on the numerous battles with Formless, Scrapperton, and others of the Skeletal Circle, and felt a touch of exasperation. "Well, I guess exciting is one way to put it," he admitted.

As they talked, Ms. Shenko, who had entered the room to prepare for their History class, slipped back out once she noticed Antauri talking to Ebony. So, the little fool had found himself a little friend? And a complete innocent to boot. This was valuable information for the master. She would have to make sure to report it. After all, Antauri and his little friends were the only real obstacles left. With that other one nearly theirs, they no longer needed to worry about the Varon Order. It was simple.

"Glory to the Dark Ones," Ms. Shenko whispered to herself. "Glory to the Skeletal Circle!"

COUGHINGISPAINFULANDEXAHUSTING

Eliyora: Well, there ya go!

Kitalia: What was all that with Ms. Shenko?

Eliyora: Well, remember that Antauri said he came to that school because he sensed a darkness there? And how Sparx, who gets detention from Ogre Shenko all the time, was being tainted? And how Valina knew he was tainted? And there's also the fact that Ms. Shenko is the most feared teacher in the school. Plus her name should have made it a giveaway to anyone who remembers the episode "Secret Society."

Kitalia: ...... no comment.

Eliyora: Haha! Obvious hinting is always what people miss!!! Anyway, review, people! I didn't get many reviews for my last chapter (probably because it sucked and Jinmay was OOC). I'm hoping I did better this time around. Please, let me know. Be honest, but no flaming!! I enjoy constructive criticism, it's how I improve. Please?


	12. Chapter 12

"The Chosen"

Chapter Eleven

Eliyora: Don't say it. I know. It's been about half a year since my last update. This time, though, legitimate excuse. My old computer died. Just went dead. Will not start up. I had a chapter half written on it, and lost it. Now I can't remember what I had already written, so I'm having to start fresh. Forgive me.

IWILLDESTROYOBSTINATEANNOYINGCOMPUTERS

**"I see,"** the dark man spoke. **"You are right, Skull Witch. This may be worked to our advantage."**

"I have already begun making preparations to capture the girl," Valina reported. "If we can lure them here, it will be simple to destroy them."

**"Capture her, but when the Hyper Force comes, do not destroy them,"** he replied.

"My Lord?" Valina questioned.

**"Bring her before me when you have her. I have plans for her,"** he ordered. **"What of our servant?"**

Valina laughed. "Just a bit more and he will be ours. He is already corrupt beyond what that blasted black crystal of theirs can undo, and that is without my magic influencing him. I believe it has always been his destiny to serve us and help us revive the Dark Ones."

**"It may be so, Witch,"** he answered, grinning. **"Let us set our plans in motion. Our masters grow impatient. We must free them from their imprisonment soon."**

LINESWILLDESTROYTHEWORLD

"MANDARIN! BEHIND YOU!" Chiro yelled. Mandarin turned and saw a Formless blade slicing towards his neck. He dodged and sliced the foe clean in half with his sword. He continued in a wide sweep to wipe out four other Formless that happened to be nearby, and nearly caught Gibson with the end of his sword.

"Whoa! Be more careful!" Gibson snapped.

Mandarin glared at him, but as more Formless came at them, there was no time to reply. The fight went on until finally, Chiro spotted the Brain. **"Chiro Spearo!"**It dissolved, and so did all the other Formless. "Whew. That takes care of that," Chiro said. "This is getting easy."

His remark was ignored by Mandarin, though, who stormed right by him and grabbed Gibson by the collar. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" he growled. "**I** am the leader of this team!"

Though a bit choked, Gibson responded, "You almost sliced _me_ in half along with those Formless."

"I will do as I see fit! You will **not** complain! UNDERSTOOD?" Mandarin yelled, spraying spit all over Gibson's face.

"MANDARIN!" Chiro snapped, prying Gibson free from his fierce grip. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I will not tolerate anyone questioning my authority!" he replied, snarling. For a moment, Chiro thought he had fangs.

"No one was!" he answered. "Gibson was telling you to be more careful, and he had every right to! You almost hit him with that sword of yours! You could have killed him!"

"You think to question me, boy?" Mandarin said in a dangerously quiet voice. He reactivated his sword. "Do not push me."

"Brother! That is enough!" Antauri yelled, coming to stand between Mandarin and Chiro. "You take your authority too far! Do _not_ think to threaten any of our team, or I _will_speak to Lady Kitalia! That is a promise."

Mandarin snarled a moment longer, then deactivated his sword. Under his breath, he muttered, "You are just as feeble as they are."

Unfortunately, Antauri caught it. Grabbing his brother by the arm, he demanded, "What has gotten into you lately? You never used to be like this! Not too long ago, you would have agreed that you were going to far, but now you accuse me of being feeble? What happened to the brother who looked out for me as a child, helped to raise me? What is he becoming?"

Mandarin looked at him a moment, then shocked everyone by punching him. "It is not for you to question me either, brother. You will all follow my orders, obediently, or you will face whatever form of dicipline I see fit to mete out. Understood?" Without waiting for an answer, he flew off, presumably to the training room at his house.

They had seen Antauri take a punch in the face before with no problem, but now he looked as though he had been run over by a delivery truck. He had never been so shocked in his life. "He punched me," Antauri whispered disbelievingly. "He actually punched me."

Sparx glowered in the direction Mandarin had flown off in. "That prick is just full of it! What the hell makes him think he can treat people like that?" He turned to Antauri. "And this was the guy you were so looking forward to coming home when he was gone?"

Antauri shook his head. "No. No, not at all. He was never like this. I mean, he's always been aggressive I suppose, but it was always in a healthy way. He only became violent when it was needed, and he preferred to use his head rather than brute force. Bossiness was always there too, believe me, but that was....." Antauri looked close to tears. He clearly couldn't quite grasp what had happened.

Chiro helped Antauri to his feet. "Look, why don't we all call it a day? I think we've had enough. Let's all just go home and get some sleep." When Antauri made to leave, Chiro grabbed his arm. "Not you. I want to talk to you."

The others left. Chiro and Antauri changed back, and Chiro whipped out his cell phone and called someone. Once he was done, he turned to Antauri. "Listen. Do you remember the promise I made to Jinmay a while back?"

Antauri had to think a moment. "Oh, yes! You promised you would stay over at my house to see what kind of 'situation' I'm living in."

Chiro nodded. "I think tonight may be a good time to fulfill that promise." When Antauri began to protest, Chiro held up a hand. "It's not a request. Mandarin has been getting worse and worse lately. We can all see that. He may have been a jerk when we first met him, but he wasn't like that. We're going to swing by my place so I can pick up some stuff, then we're going to your house. I want to see for myself, now, what's going on. Whether or not it's an abuse case, maybe I'll see something in Mandarin's everyday situation that might be causing this change that you'd overlook simply because he's your brother. No arguments," Chiro snapped when Antauri started to say something.

Defeated, Antauri sighed and nodded. No wonder he was with Jinmay. They were both pushy.

A limo pulled up in front of them, and Chiro climbed in, Antauri following after a moment's hesitation. He stayed quiet until they pulled up in front of the biggest house Antauri had ever seen. Stunned to silence, Antauri looked over at Chiro, who had the decency to blush.

"Um, yeah. Did I mention that my last name is Carrington?" he said nervously.

"Carrington? As in Clay Carrington?" Antauri demanded. Even those in the Varon Order knew of Clay Carrington. After all, a lot of the technologies he had invented were being used within the Order nowadays.

Chiro blushed harder. "Uh huh," he muttered.

Upon entering, a butler greeted them. "Good afternoon, young sir and friend."

"Hey Charles. Where's my mom?" Chiro asked.

"She's in the study," he answered.

"Thanks. Come on Antauri," Chiro said, leading the way down the hall. Antauri, personal problems momentarily forgotten, couldn't stop staring at everything. Even though material wealth meant little to him, there was a point where even he'd be impressed!

Opening a door, Chiro said, "Hey Mom!"

A lovely woman with brown hair pulled into an elegant bun, wearing a business suit as though she'd just come from a meeting, turned and smiled warmly. Antauri noticed that her eyes were the same as Chiro's. She pulled her son into a hug. "Hello Chiro. Who's your friend?"

"This is Antauri. I've told you about him," Chiro said warmly.

"Ah, yes, of course," she said. She extended a hand to Antauri. "It's good to meet you at last, Antauri. My son speaks very highly of you."

Antauri clasped her hand. "I am pleased to meet you as well, Mrs. Carrington," he replied politely.

Mrs. Carrington giggled. "You seem to have better manners than Chiro does. Would you mind giving him a few lessons?"

"Mom!" Chiro complained, causing his mother to laugh more. Clearing his throat, Chiro said, "Mom, listen. I want to crash at Antauri's place tonight. May I?"

Mrs. Carrington looked startled. "This is rather abrupt. What brought this about?"

"Odd circumstances," he said without missing a beat. "I just came home to grab some stuff."

Raising a delicate eyebrow, his mother said, "It sounds like you've already decided without asking me."

"Yeah, kinda," Chiro replied. "Listen, Mom, I need to. It's kind of like the Factum situation again, but not exactly. Please?"

Antauri didn't know what that meant, but apparently Mrs. Carrington did because her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Yes, of course, but you call me if anything happens, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chiro said. "Could you ask someone to gather my stuff? I'm only staying one night."

"Not a problem, dearest," she answered. Pushing an intercom button, she began calling orders into the device, leaving the boys to wait. Antauri tried to puzzle together Chiro's explanation to his mother.

_Fatcum? Isn't that Otto's last name?_ he thought.

CLIFFHANGERSAREYOURENEMYANDMYALLY

Eliyora: Next chapter, the long-awaited sleepover! Get ready for hell!


	13. Chapter 13

"The Chosen"

Chapter Twelve

As Chiro and Antauri stepped out of the limo in front of the cafe, Lyndis, who was locking up the store, turned around.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked.

Chiro gave her a strange look. "Um, Antauri lives here, and I'm spending the night," he explained.

"You're what?!" she yelped. "Mandarin promised we could spend all of tonight together here!"

"It was a last-minute decision," Antauri said.

"Hmph!" Lyndis snorted. "Well, I'm not leaving! It's been a long time since I had any alone time with my boyfriend."

"Alone time? What about Antauri? Whether or not I came over, he was going to be here!" Chiro snapped.

"Hmm? I thought Mandarin was going to make you go somewhere else for the night," she said casually.

Antauri looked rather outraged. "As Chiro said, I live here! What right do you or Mandarin have to tell me..."

"I'm going upstairs. I guess I'll leave the door unlocked for you," Lyndis grumbled, clearly not listening to a word Antauri said. As she turned and walked away, Antauri sighed.

"I'm sorry, that was my fault. Lyn's never liked me, although I don't know why," he explained.

"What are you apologizing for?" Chiro asked.

"I guess it's a reflex at this point," Antauri admitted.

"That sort of thing should never become a reflex, and that wasn't your fault. She was being hostile," Chiro replied. "Where'd your brother dig her up anyway?"

"Now _that_I don't know," Antauri answered. "She came back with him a couple of years ago from that solo mission."

"What solo mission? You two keep saying that, but what was it?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. See, unless it's necessary, the details of a solo mission are never disclosed to those not involved."

Chiro shook his head. "So he went on a mission and brought back a girlfriend?"

"She's from the Varon Order in another part of the world," Antauri explained.

"She is?"

"Well, that's what Mandarin told me."

Sighing, Chiro said, "Whatever. Let's go inside." They did so, but as soon as the door was opened, Mandarin's irritated face greeted them.

"What are you doing here? I told you to go crash at a friend's tonight!" he snapped.

"You did nothing of the sort!" Antauri protested. "You were too busy harassing everyone for 'questioning your authority' during battle!"

Mandarin snarled. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother with a team! I do so much better on my own, and it's not like you're ten anymore! Maybe it would be best if I just worked alone permanently!"

Antauri was upset by these words, and out of the corner of his eye, Chiro _knew_he saw Lyndis smirk. Deciding to ignore her, he turned to Mandarin and said, "Okay then. _You _can explain to Lady Kitalia why you've decided to defy her orders and abandon not only your team, but your brother."

That shut Mandarin up, though he did glare at them both. "Fine, whatever. But I still say I told you to get lost for the night."

"Saying it just as he gets home doesn't count," Chiro replied sarcastically.

Mandarin then turned to Chiro. "What do you think you're doing here anyway? Lyn already told me you decided to spend the night, but why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Last-minute decision," Chiro answered. "Now are you going to let us in, or make us sleep on the stairs?"

"That does sound tempting," Lyn remarked. "Why not just close and lock the door?"

Mandarin gave her a look. "Lyn, that's enough. I'm not going to make them sleep on the stairs." Mandarin finally stepped aside and let them in. "Just stay out of our way."

"We'll do our best to not invade the home you share with your brother," Chiro grumbled as the two of them headed for Antauri's room. "Jeez, what an ass."

Antauri cleared his throat. "Yes, well, welcome to my room," Antauri said, opening the door. His bedroom was very oriental-themed, with a bonsai tree sitting on his desk, a bamboo plant, Sumi-E (1) paintings on the wall, a Shouji (2) screen, and even a tatami bed.

"Very cool," Chiro said, looking around.

Antauri smiled. "I find it very relaxing. You know, Eliyora once said that with my taste for the oriental, I should take up meditation."

Chiro laughed. "You know, one day I really want to meet Eliyora." He dropped his bag on the floor. "Don't think I'm going to be distracted from why I'm here though."

"I know, I know, but you can relax a little, I think. From what I've heard, friends spend the night at each others' homes to have fun as well," Antauri said in such a matter-of-fact tone that Chiro just had to laugh.

"Yeah, you're right! So, anything good in the fridge?" he asked.

"Let's go see," Antauri answered. They headed down the hall.

"...don't see what the point is," Lyn's voice drifted from the living room. The boys stopped short.

"Lyn, he's my brother," Mandarin answered.

"I understand that, but that doesn't mean that he has to cling to you the way he does," she replied. "Don't you get tired of it?"

"Sometimes, but he just doesn't like being alone. There's nothing wrong with that, honestly."

"Why is he like that, though?" she demanded.

"Because he never knew our parents," Mandarin explained. "He's only ever had me. He's always afraid that I'll disappear if he lets me out of his sight."

"But that's the problem!" Lyn snapped. "He's clingy and overdependent on you! Why can't you ask to just work alone?"

Mandarin sighed. "I admit, I'm getting tired of him lately, especially since he found those other kids, but he _is_ only fifteen."

"So what? Just forget him! You were doing full-fledged missions when you were fifteen! Why can't he do the same? It's not like he'd be alone! He's got the Hyper Force! Just let them take care of his tail instead! I am sick of watching you nurse him! Make him stand on his own two legs, then let him walk on his own! Wouldn't it be easier? You just said yourself that you would work best on your own!" Lyn's voice took on a slightly dark tone. "Wouldn't it just be easier to fight on your own, without having to worry about him?"

Mandarin didn't respond for a second, but then he said, "Yeah, it would. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just used to defending him, but you're right. He does need to stand on his own. He needs to stop being so feeble!"

Antauri had heard enough. He turned and headed back to his room, followed by Chiro. They both just sat there in silence for a while. Why? Why did Lyndis hate him so? Was she the reason Mandarin had begun turning against Antauri lately? It made no sense! The Varon Order did not do things like this!! Why?

After a while, Chiro cleared his throat and said, "Um, you wanna just order pizza instead?"

IWOULDLIKESOMEPIZZATOO

When Mandarin excused himself to the bathroom, Lyndis smirked to herself. She had been aware that Antauri and Chiro were eavesdropping, and it filled her with gratification to know that their words had dug into Antauri so. What's more, Mandarin had needed so little persuasion to say them. Her smirk turned dark.

Tonight was the night.

When Mandarin returned, she smiled warmly. "Manny, let's forget about Antauri. I want to talk to you about something else."

"Okay," he replied. "What is it?"

"I want to know how far you would go to be with me," Lyn said.

Mandarin blinked. "This is out of the blue. Is something wrong?"

Lyn carefully molded her features into a sad expression. "I'm going to have to leave."

"What?" Mandarin yelped.

"I never should have been here, really. I'm of no help to the Hyper Force, and my purpose before you came back was to help Antauri open and handle the cafe. I should have left when you returned, but I managed to persade them to let me stay with you longer. I have to go back to where I belong soon, and I wanted to know if I could persuade you to come with me."

"With you?" Mandarin said numbly. "But the Hyper Force, and my brother..."

"Why do you think I brought the subject up? You acknowledged yourself that he should be more independent, did you not?" she said.

"They are not strong enough!" Mandarin said. "They will not train as I want them too! The fools will only get themselves hurt, or killed, if I am not there to lead them!"

"Maybe getting hurt a little will knock some sense into them. Mandarin, I want you to leave with me. Please." Lyn's eyes began to glow a little. but Mandarin didn't notice.

"I... I do want... to be with you... but...." Mandarin argued weakly. Lyndis grinned. She had him.

"You will come with me, to the place we both truly belong," she said.

Chiro came out to the living room, looking for a telephone, and froze when at what he saw. Lyndis and Mandarin were surrounded by dark tendrils of power, and they seemed to be emanating from Lyn. Before he could do or say anything, Lyndis finished her words.

"We belong with the Skeletal Circle, and it it time for you to claim your place among us!" she intoned. The dark tendrils wrapped around Mandarin, and were absorbed into his body. For a moment, he was still. Then he looked at Lyndis, and his red eyes flashed with a dark light.

"Yes, you're right. The Circle knows of true power. The Varons hold me back, especially these teenagers." He stood. "Let's go where we truly belong."

"No!"

Lyndis and Mandarin turned to the boy. Chiro glared at Lyndis. "So it was you! This whole time! You're the reason Mandarin changed!"

Lyndis shook her head. "No, you silly boy. All I did was convince him to stop lying to himself. Mandarin does not belong with you foolish Varons! He belongs with us, to the glorious Skeletal Circle!"

Mandarin gave Chiro an evil look. "And you will not interfere with me claiming my destiny!" He lunged at Chiro, catching him off guard and sending him crashing to the floor, stunned. "Let's go, Lyndis!"

"Yes, quickly!" The two fled the house just as Antauri came to see what the crash had been.

"Chiro! Are you okay?" he asked, helping him up.

"Ungh. I'm fine, but we've got a big problem! It looks like our sleepover is cancelled!"

ANDTIMETWISTSANDTURNS

Eliyora: Ta-da! And the first big story turn finally occurs!!

Kitalia: Lyndis? You used Lyndis like that?

Eliyora: Right under the nose! It's not like this was out of nowhere, if folks remember when Ani got sick!

Kitalia: You're insane, you know that?

Eliyora: And proud of it! Anyway, review please! Thank you!

Footnotes:

(1) Sumi-E is Japanese ink painting. It's really fun. I've just recently gotten into it myself, and I like it.

(2) One of those pretty room dividers. I want one!!


	14. Chapter 14

"The Chosen"

Chapter Thirteen

Eliyora: I'm back. I'm finally back, after nearly a year. I kinda drifted away from the Monkey Team for a while, which is the reason I didn't update. I know, it's not an excuse, but there it is. Anyway, I'm hopefully going to update much more frequently now. A couple things to tell you: As of this chapter, no more cute sentences to act as lines. I ran out of them. Also, this part of the story will be divided into multiple chapters. Mandarin's betrayal is, of course, a greatly important thing, and I will treat it as such. With that being said, enjoy everybody.

LINELINELINE

Sparx sat at the dinner table, just quietly eating his rice. He looked over at the people who called themselves his parents, who were too busy praising his brother about his latest perfect score to even register that there was another person at the table. It was amazing. Sparx could throw a luau and they wouldn't care. He got really sick of it, but what could you do? At least he wasn't being criticized for anything.

Hal, for his part, was looking vaguely fed up. Sparx couldn't blame him. Their parents seemed to think praise made the world go 'round, and Hal's good grades earned him endless amounts of it. Anyone would get tired of hearing the same things repeatedly. He'd even said once that he'd love to trade places with Sparx for a day.

It wasn't a returned sentiment.

Sparx was distracted from his thoughts when he felt a small, soundless pulse from his transformer. Looking at the little silver watch, he saw it flashing a faint orange, indicating that Chiro was calling. Looking across the table, he saw that Hal felt it too, but was unable to sneak away. Sparx, however, slipped away unnoticed, and went into the hallway to answer.

"What's up, Kid?" he whispered.

"You and Gibson gotta get downtown now!" Chiro yelled urgently.

"What? We got a Formless problem?" Sparx asked.

"No, we've got a Mandarin problem!" Chiro replied.

"Say what? What's going on?"

"Just get here! You'll have to use the tracker! We're moving fast, so you need to too! Chiro out!"

Sparx was stunned for a moment, but decided there would be plenty of time for shock later. Darting back into the dining room, he said, "Bro, we've got some monkey business going down. We need to haul tail!"

Hal nodded once and stood. Before he reached the other side of the table, though, their father stood and demanded, "What are you trying to pull, Sparx?" Sparx rolled his eyes. It never failed. He was always the one they suspected. Glancing at his brother, he wordlessly asked for help.

Hal got the message loud and clear. "Don't worry, Father. I understand what he means, and he's not trying to 'pull' anything. Do you think I'd just agree if he was?"

Their mother stood next. "How can you be sure?" she asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in her voice.

Hal smiled. "It's a twin thing," he replied. They didn't look convinced, so he added, "I'll take full responsibility for getting us home. I am the elder brother after all." Sparx made a face, but said nothing.

Their father grimaced, but said, "Fine. We're trusting you, Hal."

Hal nodded and he and Sparx ran out the door. Sparx frowned. "They just will never, ever have any faith in me. It's always the same."

"Complain about it some other time. What was that call all about?" Hal asked.

"Chiro just said something about Mandarin," Sparx answered. "We better fly. _Hyper Power Up!_"

They transformed and took off.

LINELINELINE

Nova hummed quietly to herself as she wiped the sweat from her brow. That had been a good workout. She usually had to keep it down when her family was home, but her parents had gone out to dinner that night, leaving her and her siblings alone in the house. These nights were the best, because she could pound away at the sandbag without restraint.

"Hey Nova!" came her brother's voice from upstairs.

Climbing out of their basement/gym, Nova answered, "What's up, Chip?"

Her older brother Chip held up her transformer, which was flashing silver. "Your watch is doing that weird thing again. What's it mean, anyway? It need new batteries or something?"

Nova calmly snatched it away. "No, it's an alarm setting. How'd you get this, anyway? You go into my room again?"

Chip rolled his eyes. "And if I did?"

Nova hit him on the head. "Ass," she cursed, walking upstairs to her bedroom. Once alone, she put the transformer on and answered, "Antauri? What is it?"

"We need you downtown!" Antauri replied. He sounded distraught, which caught Nova's attention right away.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"You'll have to get down here fast! Use the tracker! Antauri out!" he replied.

Nova was confused and worried, so she hurried downstairs, pausing only long enough to call to Chip, "I'm heading out! Later!"

"Fine! Don't be out too late or I'll catch hell, okay?" Chip answered.

"'Kay!" Nova replied, dashing out the door. "_Hyper Power Up!_"

LINELINELINE

Otto grinned widely as him little cousin waddled her way to him, cheerfully saying, "Atta! Atta!"

He giggled and scooped her up when she reached him. "Having fun, Michelle?" The three-year-old gave a happy squeal in answer. Hearing an amused chuckle from behind him, Otto turned around to his uncle.

"I wonder if she likes you more than her own daddy," he said teasingly. "She always cries for 'Atta' whenever you're not here or busy."

Otto grinned, blushing a little. "I doubt she likes me more than you," he replied. Hugging little Michelle again, he continued, "I don't mind that she always clings to me, anyway. She's more like my little sister than my little cousin, and I love her to bits!"

His uncle laughed outright. "You're going to be a good father someday, you know that?" he said.

Otto blushed deeper. "Father? Me? Don't you think I'm a little young to think about stuff like that?"

"Yes, Dwayne, he is. Don't go putting your perverted ideas into his head," came his aunt voice from the kitchen, shortly followed by a small giggle.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Angie," Dwayne called. Otto and Angie both laughed. Michelle laughed as well, not knowing what was so funny but not wanting to be left out. Dwayne grinned and took his daughter from Otto. "Come along, Sweetness. Time for you to go to bed."

"No!" Michelle responded immediately. She gave her father a light hit on the shoulder. "No!"

"Michelle, you know better than to hit," Dwayne warned.

"NO!" Michelle protested again.

Otto smiled at her. "We'll play more when you wake up tomorrow, okay?" he promised.

Michelle simply answered, "Play now!"

Dwayne rolled his eyes. "I'll go tuck her in," he said, carrying her down the hall.

"Atta!" Michelle called sadly.

"Goodnight, Michelle!" Otto called after her. It was then he felt his transformer begin pulsing against his wrist. Glancing at it, he saw it was a faint orange. He hurried into another room to answer Chiro's call. Once he got the info, he poked his head into the kitchen and asked, "Hey, is it cool if I head out for a bit?"

Angie glanced at the clock. "I suppose for a while. It is only seven. Just don't come home too late, alright?"

Otto nodded once. "'Kay!" He bolted out of the house, transforming and taking off.

LINELINELINE

Chiro and Antauri flew at top speed, following the traitor and the witchling. Chiro had never seen such a look on Antauri's face before. It was an odd mixture of distraught and determined. Chiro would bet anything that Antauri would die before letting his brother go to the Circle. Unfortunately, the other two were slightly faster, and they were slowly gaining ground.

"Damn! We'll never catch them like this!" Chiro snarled.

"We will! We have to!" Antauri snapped. Pushing a little harder, Antauri sped up slightly. Chiro reached a little deeper himself, and kept up with Antauri, but they were not gaining on them. "Come on! Come on!" Antauri growled.

Mandarin glanced over his shoulder for a moment. "We're not going to lose them. Antauri's too good of a flyer," he said.

Lyndis glanced backwards over her dark-energy wings and frowned. "You're right. We need to do something. We can't lead them to the Circle," she said. Pausing a moment, she blasted an energy sphere at them. Antauri and Chiro dodged it, but the moment it was behind them, it imploded, sending them crashing to the ground. While Chiro and Antauri struggled to get back up quickly, Lyndis and Mandarin used the opportunity to put some ground between them.

"**Magna Tingler Blast!**"

A wave of electro-magnetic energy in front of them stopped Lyndis and Mandarin cold. Looking up, they saw Sparx and Gibson hovering above them. Mandarin frowned. "Stand aside if you know what's good for you," he warned.

Sparx pointed his magnets at Mandarin's chest. "I don't know what the hell's goin' on here, but I'll be damned if I let you two through," he replied. Gibson raised his drills as well, Sparx's words clearly echoed in his eyes.

Lyndis smirked and raised a hand to them. "Damn you," she said mockingly before blasting them with an electro-magnetic wave similar to what Sparx had just thrown at them. It shocked them badly, knocking them to the ground. Lyndis gave a small laugh...

...promptly before being clocked upside her head and knocked to the ground.

Growling, Lyndis looked up and saw Nova, fists raised. Otto was currently engaging Mandarin, though he was struggling terribly. Mandarin was simply too strong for Otto to fight alone. Lyndis stood up, glaring daggers at Nova. "Alright then, little girl. You wanna play? Let's play!" Lyndis raised her own fists, and they transformed into a rough imitation of Nova's. Startled by this, Nova was caught off-guard when Lyndis jumped at her and punched her.

While the girls fought, Chiro and Antauri caught up to them, and Gibson and Sparx picked themselves up off of the ground. They rushed to their fallen friends. "Are you two okay?" Chiro asked.

"We're fine, Kid," Sparx answered. "We'd better help them."

Chiro nodded. "Sparx and Gibson, you help Nova. Antauri and I will help Otto."

Mandarin blocked another attack from Otto, but he didn't lower his shield to counterattack. Instead he charged at Otto, energy shield raised. Otto was forced against a wall, and Mandarin pressed the shield against him. Otto screamed in pain for a moment before Mandarin let him drop. He raised his sword. "I honestly didn't intend to kill anyone, at least not yet. I wanted to leave my brother his friends to cling to, if nothing else, but you've given me no choice," he said solemnly. He swung his sword down.

A pair of purple ghost claws caught the blade.

"Antauri!" Mandarin exclaimed before Antauri twisted his hands to throw Mandarin to the ground. Behind him, Chiro helped Otto to his feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He seemed to ask that question a lot these days...

"Chest kinda hurts, but I'll live," Otto replied. He and Chiro took battle stances next to Antauri as Mandarin got up.

The orange-haired man turned to look at his brother, eyes showing no pity or affection. "I would rather not fight you, brother. I will give you one chance to turn away," he warned.

"I would say the same to you," Antauri responded, his voice resolute. "I know not what has happened to you, but surely Lady Kitalia can help you. We already helped Sparx, after all. Please, brother, come back. Don't do this. Don't betray the Order."

Mandarin's eyes narrowed. "I pity you, brother. You're nothing more than a pawn for the Order. I suppose that some of it is my fault, for not telling you the truth from the start, but it cannot be helped."

Antauri raised an eyebrow. "Telling me the truth?" he asked.

Mandarin sneered. "If you stand in my way, I will cut you down, just like the others." The instant the words left his mouth, Mandarin rushed forward, swinging his sword at Antauri, who was just quick enough to get out of the way. Chiro came at him from the side.

**"Thunder Punch!"** His attack connected, sending Mandarin sailing. Now infuriated, Mandarin got back to his feet and lunged at them.

At the same time, Nova dodged another punch from Lyndis. It hit a nearby tree instead, toppling it. Once she was out of the way she yelled, "Gibson, now!"

**"Photon Scalpel!"**

Lyndis dodged the attack in the same way Nova had just dodged hers. Turning angrily towards Gibson, she pointed one finger at him, and a focused electric beam shot out of it right at him. Sparx barely managed to grab Gibson and pull him out of the way.

"What the hell is that lady's deal? Every time we attack her, she comes at us with something similar!" Sparx complained.

"I don't understand. How can she imitate us so accurately?" Gibson pondered.

"Think later! Fight now!" Nova yelled at them. **"Lady Tomahawk!"** Lyndis stepped to the side, smirking at Nova. She smashed her still-enlarged fist into Nova's face.

"Nova!" Sparx yelped, rushing to her. Lyndis darted towards Nova, apparently about to split her skull. Sparx got there first. He was glowing red.

"I won't let you hurt Nova!" he yelled. His magnets sparked with energy. **"Magno-Field Shield!"**

Lyndis hit the shield full-on, and was repulsed by the energy flowing through it. Sparx looked at his magnets. "What was that?" he wondered. "I've never done _that_ before!"

Nova got up. "I dunno, but thanks," she said. She raised her fists again. "Shall we?"

Sparx smirked. "Yes, we shall," he answered, raising his magnets. Lyndis came at them again.

**"Electro-Vibro Forks!"**

**"Sting Rings!"**

The twin sonic attack was right on target, but Lyndis just smirked. She raised her hand, and it mutated into a sort of magnet. She used it to generate a shield just like the one Sparx had just used, protecting herself.

"What the f***?" Sparx swore.

Lyndis laughed. "You still don't know what I am, do you?"

**"Laser Criss-Cross!"**

"Gah!" Lyndis yelped as Gibson's attack hit her side.

"We may not know how your powers work, but it matters little," he said. "We'll find a way to defeat you nonetheless."

Lyndis laughed loudly. "You little fools. I'm nothing like the Formless that you've been fighting all this time. I'm far above them!" She sprang up, shocking Gibson with electricity.

**"Scritch-Scratch Doom Thrower!"**

**"Chiro Spearo!"**

Mandarin blocked the dual assault, but Antauri used the opportunity to strike him in the side with his telekinesis. Winded, Mandarin turned an approving look to him. "That's more like it. Take the opportunity to strike. That's how you win," he choked out. He raised his sword again, regaining his breath. "But you must make sure they stay down!" He charged at Antauri. He backflipped away from Mandarin's attacks, but seemed reluctant to retaliate.

Chiro saw Antauri's reluctance, and whispered something to Otto, who flew up, and out of sight. Chiro then stood and called, "Hey Mandarin! You think you're so tough? Try taking me on! One-on-one!"

Mandarin looked at the confident boy, smirking, while Antauri looked shocked. "Well, why not? You are the strongest of the bunch, including my dear brother here," Mandarin accepted. He turned to face Chiro. "Let's go boy."

LINELINELINE

Eliyora: To be continued...

Kitalia: What's Chiro up to?

Eliyora: Find out next chapter! Please review, and feel free to scream at me for taking so damn long to update. I won't do it again!


End file.
